


The Witch's Room

by amethyst_witch



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Daddy Kink, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Oral Sex, Roommates, Size Difference, Underage Drinking, Wicca, Witchcraft, Witches, daddy - Freeform, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 21:28:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11239608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amethyst_witch/pseuds/amethyst_witch
Summary: Thor isn't too fond of New York, even after living there for a few weeks. Still, certain things make it manageable– Steve and Bucky, for one, college friends who happened to have a spare room in their apartment, his new job (even if it is a little stressful), and in particular, his new roommate: Loki, a sardonic college kid with an emphasis on privacy (Thor doesn't really mind– well, not at first, anyway).





	1. Moving In

Thor didn’t quite like the idea of moving to New York, but the job offer was just too good to turn down. Great connections, a good position (especially considering his relative lack of previous experience), and an almost unbelievable salary. That’s how he found himself smack in the middle of New York City on a Wednesday afternoon, struggling to keep from getting lost. He missed San Diego already– the palm trees, the beach, visible from his apartment, the sea breeze, the consistently mild weather. New York was all tall buildings and concrete and noise, and as he approached his new apartment building, he began to wonder if he’d made the right decision. The building was fairly nice, as New York apartments go, but it was no comparison to what he’d just left behind.

He found Steve waiting in front of the building, as promised. Steve grinned and clapped him on the back, leading the way inside. “Glad to see you made it! I was worried your Cali roots would get you lost.”

“Almost did,” Thor smiled, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. “I’m not sure how I feel about the city yet. A little chilly, isn’t it?”

“Are you kidding?” Steve shot him an incredulous look, “this is perfect. In fact, a little warm, even. And things are only going to get colder from here, believe me.” Thor raised his eyebrows and shook his head slowly.

“Guess I should be worried about winter, then.”

They stepped into the elevator together, and Steve pressed the button for the 11th floor. “You’ll manage. Besides, you get used to it. New York grows on you, I think.”

“Like you would know,” Thor snorted, “you’re born and bred.”

Steve grinned and shrugged, “Well, I like it. What kind of job was good enough to convince you to leave your California safe-haven, anyway?”

“It’s an electric company– I worked as the manager for one branch of this company in San Diego, and they offered me a job as an administrative manager in corporate. The pay is gonna be great, and at any rate, I felt like I was coming to some dead ends in San Diego, so maybe this is for the best.” Steve nodded wisely as they stepped out of the elevator, leading the way down to the apartment. “Thanks for letting me stay with you, by the way, I really appreciate it.”

“Well, don’t thank me yet, you haven’t gotten settled. But regardless, we had the extra room, and we thought it might be useful to have another person to share the rent. It gets a little pricey here.”

“Well, San Diego wasn’t exactly cheap either,” Thor reminded him.

“No doubt, but this is New York.” Thor decided to let the matter drop as Steve opened the door, at the very end of the hall. “We’ll get you a key today, I know we have a few spares.”

Bucky glanced up as they walked in, standing from the couch to greet Thor. “Long time no see,” he smiled, the familiar shine in his eyes.

“No kidding! It’s good to see you again,” Thor took a moment to look around. “Nice place.” He had to admit, it was nicer than he’d thought it would be. Fairly large, with big windows opposite the door and a decent sized living space. Closer to the door was an open kitchen and dining table, along with barstools in front of the counter.

“Here, let me show you your room.” Steve led the way through an open doorway on the left side of the room, where they were met with three doors. He opened the far left one, stepping in, and Thor followed. “Some of your stuff got here already, so we just put it in here. You can unpack a bit when you get a chance,” Steve nodded to the cardboard boxes lined up against the wall. The room was nicer than he’d expected, if a little small. It had decently sized windows (something Thor always appreciated) and it was clean, so he was happy. “This is great,” he said, dropping his bag on the bed. “I honestly didn’t expect it to be this nice.”

“Glad you like it. Bathroom is the door in the middle. Do you mind sharing?”

“Not at all. With you?” Steve laughed and shook his head.

“No, our room is that one,” he stepped back out and nodded to the door on the opposite side of the apartment. “We have our own bathroom. You’ll be sharing with our other roommate– I did tell you about him, right?”

“Yeah, you did,” Thor nodded, following him out to sit on the couch. “The dark-and-mysterious college kid who doesn’t show up too much?”

Steve nodded and smiled, but nodded in the direction of the room opposite to Thor’s. “Yup, that’s his room. You’ll be sharing with him.”

“Sounds good,” Thor nodded, glancing over to the closed door. “So, when will I get to meet your mysterious roommate?”

“ _Our_ mysterious roommate,” Steve was quick to correct him. “Remember, you live here now.”

“Ah, of course, _our_ mysterious roommate. When do I get to meet him?”

Bucky joined them in the living room, sitting down next to Steve with a sandwich. They glanced at each other, sharing a knowing look. “I don’t know, actually,” Steve answered after a moment. “He left earlier this morning, and I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”

Bucky swallowed his bite of sandwich and chimed in, “he’ll show up when he shows up. With any luck, not shitfaced at three-fucking-thirty in the morning.”

Thor grimaced. “Does that happen often?”

Steve shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable, and Bucky’s attention was back on his sandwich. Bucky, at least, looked unconcerned, which was comforting. “Not too often,” Steve said, “but once in a while. Hasn’t been too bad except the time he threw up on the kitchen floor and then passed out in the living room.”

Thor laughed, “well, I did the same thing when I was in college. Can’t exactly blame him. What’s his name again? Loki?”

“Yeah, Loki Laufeyson. And just as a warning, he is a little standoffish. It may take him a while to warm up to you.” Thor nodded, leaning back a bit more on the couch.

“Standoffish?” Bucky broke in again. “Creepy is more like it. I dunno man, he’s got some weird vibes.”

Thor shrugged, but he was actually a little curious. “Guess I’ll see him when I see him. You guys got anything to drink around here?”

 

 

Thor was having a hard time sleeping. Something about new atmospheres always threw him off, so there he was, lying in bed at 2 am and hoping he’d doze off soon. He was staring at the ceiling when he heard the front door open and close, albeit quietly, and the pad of feet on the floor outside. Loki, Thor assumed. Didn’t sound shitfaced, based on the steady, even footsteps, but one could never tell. He heard the open and close of another door, then running water. Some more shuffling around, and after about ten minutes, the creak of bedsprings, then everything went quiet again. Thor must have fallen asleep sometime soon after that, because he didn’t remember anything else.

 

 

When Thor woke up, morning sun was filtering in through the blinds, and he shivered a little, wrapping his blankets more tightly around himself. God, even inside, New York was cold. He really wasn’t looking forward to winter. After an indulgent half-hour on his phone, he finally made himself get up, flinching a little as the chill of the air air hit his skin.

Throwing a shirt on, he shuffled out into the kitchen, glad for his flannel pajama pants. No one else was out or about, but he noticed, pleased, that the coffee maker was already running. He went ahead and made himself some toast, scouring the fridge before ending up with some strawberry jam and a few eggs. Scrambled eggs and toast it would be, then.

Thor set the eggs down on the counter, turning around to check on the toast, and found himself facing a young man of slight build. He was pale and slender– Thor couldn’t help but wonder about his health– with sparkling green eyes and soft, dark hair framing his angled features. He looked startled, as if he hadn’t expected Thor to turn around, lips parted ever so slightly in surprise. He had a coffee mug in one hand, and had apparently frozen halfway through reaching for the coffee pot. Thor noticed his tattoo sleeve, and the only thing he could think about was how much time it must have taken.

Thor realized he’d let an uncomfortable amount of time pass, and jumped into action. “Sorry, you surprised me a bit!” He smiled, trying to be warm, but the young man– Loki, Thor reminded himself– only blinked in return. “I’m Thor Odinson, I’m the new roommate. Loki, yes? Steve told me a bit about you.” He held out his hand, smile unwavering, and that seemed to shake Loki into action. Abandoning the coffee pot, he shook Thor’s hand.

“Loki Laufeyson,” his voice was quiet but not necessarily soft, a little bit of a sharp edge to it.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Loki,” Thor turned back to continue making breakfast, but didn’t abandon Loki entirely. “I’m making breakfast, would you like any?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” he said shortly, taking the coffee pot in hand and filling his mug.

“Well then, would you like to sit with me for a while? I’d like to get to know you– I’m afraid Steve and Bucky didn’t tell me too much.” Thor caught Loki’s lip curl ever so slightly out of the corner of his eye. “Unless, of course, you’re busy? I wouldn’t want to impose.” He smiled again, trying to charm his way into getting what he wanted. So far, it seemed to be working. Loki hesitated for a moment, but seemed to decide that there was no harm done.

“Okay,” he shrugged after a moment, going around to sit at one of the barstools across from Thor, leaning on the counter and fixing him with a stare. Thor poured his eggs into the pan, stirring and wondering what the best way to start a conversation would be. He decided to go generic first. “So, where are you from?”

“Seattle,” Loki said after a short moment.

“Really? I’m west coast myself, though a bit further south. San Diego, actually. What brought you to New York?”

“School,” he said. When Thor waited, he elaborated. “I’m at NYU.” Another moment of silence. “Studying design.” Thor decided to take that and nodded, though he didn’t look at Loki, sliding the eggs onto a plate and getting ready to spread the jam across the toast.

“So you like art, then?” Loki nodded, silent. “Do you have a plan for after you graduate?” Breakfast ready, he finally turned around, grabbing a mug of coffee for himself and moving over to sit by Loki. Thor caught a slight smirk on his face as he answered.

“I’m only a sophomore.”

Thor shrugged. “Doesn’t mean anything. Some people know before they even go to college, some people don’t even know until after they graduate.”

Loki pursed his lips, but he looked amused. “Granted. I’m hoping to work in the fashion industry.” He seemed to be studying Thor closely, which Thor chose to ignore.

“As a model or as a designer?”

“Designer, of course,” he scoffed. “You don’t exactly need a degree to be a model.” Thor should’ve thought of that. “Besides, models have their limits. Designers are the ones that make it big.” Thor nodded slowly, shoving a bite of eggs into his mouth. He caught Loki eyeing his plate, looking a little envious.

“You sure you don’t want any? I can make some more, if you want.”

“I– what?” Loki’s pale cheeks flushed a little, and he shook his head hurriedly. “No, no, I’m fine, it’s fine.” Ignoring him, Thor tore his toast in half and pushed a piece into Loki’s hands.

“Hope you like strawberry.” Loki looked a little flustered, but he accepted it.

“I– thank you,” he blinked a few times before nibbling on the corner. Thor smiled at him again, using the time Loki was occupied with the toast to finish his breakfast. He watched quietly as Loki finished the toast, sucking the remaining strawberry jam off his fingers with precision.

“So, sophomore?” Loki nodded, looking less on edge than he had earlier. “That would make you, what, nineteen?” He nodded again, and Thor sighed, grimacing. “God, you’re making me feel old.” That seemed to pique Loki’s curiosity.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.” Thor watched him out of the corner of his eye to gauge his reaction. He was glad to see that he didn’t look put off.

“That’s not old,” he said, hopping off the stool to refill his coffee mug. “I mean, you’ve still got at least another twenty-five years left before you start getting actually old.”

Thor shrugged, “still feels old sometimes.” Loki snorted.

“Just wait until you’re twice the age you are now, then you can complain about being old.”

Thor raised an eyebrow, smiling a little. “You’re only nineteen, you’re not one to talk.” Loki smiled wryly (the first legitimate smile so far, Thor noted, even if it was dry), but before he could respond, the door to Steve and Bucky’s room swung open and Bucky shuffled out, looking groggy. Thor noticed that Loki looked a little like a deer caught in the headlights, thrown off guard by his sudden appearance.

Bucky grunted in form of greeting, heading straight for the coffee pot. “Morning,” Thor took a careful sip of coffee. “Where’s Steve? Isn’t he usually an early riser?”

Bucky nodded, slouching over to sit next to Thor. It was only when he heard the click of the door that he realized Loki’d slipped back into his room. “Yeah,” Bucky drew Thor’s attention back, “he’s out running with Natasha.” Thor nodded, glancing over at Loki’s door, closed with no sign of opening any time soon. “I see you met Loki?” Thor nodded but refrained from saying anything about the encounter– he wasn’t sure how thin the walls were, or if Loki would be able to hear.

Steve chose that moment to make his entrance, Natasha close behind. She greeted Thor warmly (as warmly as Natasha ever did anything, anyway) and welcomed him to the city. “I hope I survive through the winter,” Thor told her, and she smiled wryly.

“Try a Russian winter, then you can complain about New York.”

“No thank you, I’ll stay below the arctic circle. Preferably as close to the equator as possible, actually.”

“You’re not doing a great job of that right now, considering that you’re in New York,” she observed, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, I know. I’m starting to think I’ve made a mistake by moving here.”

Steve, breaking into the conversation, clapped him on the back as he walked by. “We’ve been over this already, Thor. Worrying about it just means you’ll suffer twice.”

“Do you really think I’ll be suffering?” He let a frown crease his forehead.

Bucky grinned wickedly when he asked. “Well, Cali boy, can’t say for sure, but–”

Natasha cut him off, rolling her eyes. “You’ll be fine, Thor. We do have central heat up here, we’re not total barbarians.”

“Alright,” Steve broke back in, “that’s enough winter talk. Thor, Bucky, I want you guys dressed and ready to go in ten, we’re going to brunch.”

“I just had breakfast,” Thor protested.

“Thor, I know you. I’m sure you can work up an appetite before we get there,” Steve said, not taking no for an answer. “Go get dressed.”

 

 

So less than an hour later, Thor was sitting outside a cafe, latte in his hand and bagel on the table in front of him. Steve sat down next to him, Natasha and Bucky already at the table. “So,” Steve began, “I heard you met Loki?” Thor nodded and waited for him to continue. “Well? What did you think?”

Thor shrugged. “Honestly, from what you guys said, I was expecting much worse. He’s fine– a little standoffish, like you said, but I think he’s just shy. Sweet kid, probably.” Steve’s eyebrows were approaching his hairline, and Bucky snorted into his coffee while Natasha sat to the side, smirking a little.

“Really? I mean, that’s not necessarily the impression I got from him.” Steve looked uncomfortable.

“Steve, you don’t have to sugar-coat it,” Natasha said, looking at the trio as if she were watching a mildly entertaining reality TV show.

“He’s sort of a freak,” Bucky translated. “Not to be mean about it, but he’s pretty fucking weird.”

“Sounds like you’re being kind of mean about it,” Thor raised an eyebrow. “But I won’t argue. Tell me why you think he’s ‘sort of a freak,’ though.”

Bucky and Steve exchanged a glance before Bucky took the lead. “Well, first of all, he stays shut up in his room all the time, if he’s not out. Barely talks to us.”

“Have you actually ever made an effort to talk to him?” Thor interrupted him.

Bucky opened and closed his mouth, “well, I mean, it’s not like we’ve been rude.”

Thor laughed and shook his head. “There’s your problem. He’s just shy. Try talking to him sometime, he’s not going to bite.”

“Okay, but we haven’t even gotten to the weird stuff yet. Just hear me out. First of all, his jewelry is weird as fuck. Pentagrams, bones, weird ass rings, creepy moon stuff, shit like that.”

Thor raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Wow. Creepy moon stuff. I’m really frightened now.”

Bucky ignored him and kept talking. “And then there’s his room. First of all, he has about a billion candles in there.”

“Maybe he likes candles.”

“He burns a lot of incense.”

“Maybe he likes his room to smell nice.”

“Ton of weird jars and bottles and things, ton of rocks and shit scattered everywhere. Tarot cards– and not just one deck, either.”

“Listen, I appreciate your concern, but I’m pretty sure I can make my own impression.”

Steve leaned forward, looking sympathetic. “Thor, we’re not saying that he’s a terrible person or anything, but as a Christian man, I can’t–”

Natasha broke in for the first time, cutting him off. “Alright, that’s enough. Steve, Bucky, you won’t change his mind. He can figure it out himself. And maybe he’s right, actually. You haven’t given the kid much of a chance, have you?”

Steve and Bucky glanced at each other again (Thor was getting a little tired of that) and Bucky shrugged and sat back while Steve shook his head. “I don’t know, but I’m not going to get involved.”

“Pretty sure he has a pentagram tattoo,” Bucky muttered. Natasha shot him a look and he shut up, but didn’t look particularly regretful.

“So,” she turned to Thor, “tell me about your new job.” 


	2. Sharing (food, words, time)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little unedited and a little rough around the edges, so bear with me here (sorry!)

While Thor didn’t put much stock into what Steve and Bucky said, he couldn’t really get it out of his head, either. Even if it didn’t mean anything, and even if Steve and Bucky were exaggerating, what kind of person wore pentagram jewelry and burned incense on a regular basis?

And, unfortunately, the next time he bumped into Loki, it was the first thing that came to his mind. It happened a little less than a week later, on a Thursday evening after he’d gotten back from work. He’d stopped at the gym on the way home, and he was wondering whether he should shower or make dinner first when he heard a key in the lock. When Loki came in, he was carrying a large cardboard box, and he didn’t look like he was having a particularly easy time with it, either.

“Here, let me help.” Thor took the box from him, lifting it easily. “Your room?”

“Oh, you don’t have to,” Loki protested, out of breath.

“What if I want to?”

Loki didn’t look too pleased, pursing his lips. “It’s not that far to my room.”

Thor shrugged. “Then it’ll be that much easier.” He stepped around the counter and over to Loki’s door, balancing the box on his knee and reaching for the doorknob. Before he realized it, Loki was in front of him, hand firmly on the doorknob and glaring at Thor.

He seemed to collect himself, face falling into a more neutral expression before he said anything. “Thank you. You can leave it here.”

Thor raised an eyebrow but decided he wouldn’t press the issue, setting it down by the door. “If you say so.” He stepped back and returned to the kitchen, making the split-second decision to start on dinner in the hopes that he could convince Loki to stay. “I’m making dinner, would you like some?”

Loki hesitated before shaking his head. “No thank you, I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Thor glanced at him over his shoulder. “Last time you said that but you actually were hungry, weren’t you?” He laughed softly to let Loki know that he wasn’t being accusatory. “If you’re worried about being rude, don’t sweat it.”

“Just– alright, I’ll just have a bit, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” Thor shot him a smile. He returned the smile hesitantly and slipped onto one of the barstools. Thor couldn’t help but notice that he looked a little nervous. “Any preferences? Allergies?”

“Actually, I am vegetarian, but if that’s too much trouble, don’t worry about it.”

“Not a problem, we can work with that. Cook much?” Thor remembered that he'd (luckily) done some prep work for a soup earlier that week- it would be easy (and quick) enough to pull that out and finish it up. 

“Me?” Loki almost smiled at that. “No, I don’t really see the point.”

“Can’t say I was too different in college. So, can I ask what’s in the box?”

“If it is what I think it is, probably some books and a new duvet.”

“How sophisticated. I bet you even have throw pillows.”

Loki laughed, one of the first Thor had heard from him, and certainly the loudest. “I won’t deny it. What can I say? I pay attention to that sort of thing.”

“I mean, it’s not a bad thing. I don’t really care much for it, myself, but I suppose if you’re in design it can’t be too far off.”

“Yeah, I actually considered going into interior design for a while.”

“Really? What made you choose fashion?”

Loki shrugged and leaned on the counter. “It seemed to fit me more. I like the fact that things are always changing. Interior design is a little more static.”

“So, basically, it’s a little more boring?”

Loki snorted, “that’s one way to put it.” After a moment of silence, he asked Thor, “what did you major in?”

“Business, actually. I was going to study electrophysics, but my dad really pushed for something that would generate a better income. I think he was worried I wouldn’t be able to support myself.”

“I can’t see you in business,” Loki admitted.

“Well, here I am. And I got a job at an electricity company, so isn’t that similar?”

“In the sense that a throw pillow is similar to a duvet, I guess.”

Thor rolled his eyes and took the soup off the heat. “Love the analogy. Very designer of you.”

“Thanks, I’m practicing for after I graduate.” He was smiling as Thor ladled some of the soup into two bowls and slid them onto the counter. Loki pulled one closer slowly as Thor pulled the sourdough bread out of the toaster, slipping around to sit next to him and handing one of the pieces over.

“Here, you always need bread with your soup.”

Loki accepted the bread, thanking him quietly and turning back to the bowl. “It smells good. What kind of soup is it?”

“Kale and white bean,” Thor went ahead and started eating, while Loki took an experimental, careful bite. Thor had already noticed that he was a hesitant eater, which didn’t totally surprise him.

Loki nodded, “it is good.”

“Thanks, my mom used to make it when I was younger.”

“Did you cook with her?”

Thor shrugged and smiled a little. “Not as much as I wish I had. Now I only get the chance when I go back home to visit, usually holidays and the like.”

“Why did you start cooking?”

“I just got tired of take-out and sandwiches, I guess. It’s not hard, it’s just a little time consuming. But, I mean, a lot of things are easy and pretty quick once you get the hang of them.”

Loki nodded and kept eating. Thor caught Loki looking at his shirt, and was suddenly reminded of the fact that he hadn’t showered. He probably didn’t smell great, and he was pretty sure that Loki’d been staring at the sweat spots on the grey fabric.

“I’m sorry,” he laughed, embarrassed, “I was working out. Here, I can move over if it’s a problem?”

“Oh, no, that’s not– no, it’s not a problem, it’s totally fine.” He cleared his throat, fixing his gaze on the soup in front of him. Thor noticed that his cheeks were a little flushed, and it dawned on Thor that he probably hadn’t been looking at his shirt.

He tried to ignore that, shaking it off and turning the conversation back to cooking– why Loki didn’t do much of it, to be exact.

By the time they finished eating, Loki was yawning between sentences and his eyes were heavy-lidded. “You look tired,” Thor said sympathetically, “you should get some rest. Long day?”

Loki laughed quietly and nodded. “Yeah, a little. You sure? I could help clean up, if you want.”

“There’s not much to do, really, and you look tired. Go get some rest.” He nodded sleepily and stood, saying goodnight before retreating to his bedroom.

Thor thought about it as he was cleaning up– he hadn’t thought of Loki _that way_ before, but now, it was hard not to. He tried to reason with himself: Loki was too young for him, really. He was barely legal, for God’s sake. Not to mention Steve and Bucky’s hesitation. Even if he didn’t really believe them, he should probably keep it in mind. Then there was the fact that Loki seemed like a lot of trouble in a small package. Nothing he could put his finger on, just a feeling he got.

None of that stopped him from closing his eyes as he was lying in bed and picturing his fingers curled around soft black hair, mouth on pale skin. Sucking in a breath through his teeth, he mentally cursed himself and wrapped a hand around his erection.

 

Thor spent the next few days working– either at the office or in the gym– tirelessly. He felt restless, like he needed to get some energy out of his system. Because of that, he didn’t see Loki again until the weekend. Saturday morning, he was sitting in the living room eating breakfast when Loki slipped out of his room, headed straight for his daily coffee.

Thor called his name, waving him over. “Sit with me,” he nodded to the other end of the couch. He couldn’t help but think about what he’d done the other night, but he tried to push it to the back of his mind. Loki did as he asked, looking uncertain about it. “Here.” He handed over a piece of toast, with blueberry preserves this time.

“Oh, I can’t–” Thor raised an eyebrow, and he closed his mouth.

“Here, take it.” Loki mumbled a quiet thank you and accepted the food. “Got any plans for today?” He shook his head mutely. “Good. I’m taking you out.” Loki paused, cheeks taking on a pink dusting.

“Why?”

“I could be wrong about this, but from what I’ve heard about you, you don’t do much besides school and work, and I’m not sure that’s necessarily healthy.”

Loki pursed his lips. “If you’re suggesting exercise, you can forget–”

“I’m not– though I’m sure it couldn’t hurt– but no, I was planning on making you show me around New York. I’m still new here, remember?”

Loki nodded thoughtfully. “I could show you around a bit. I don’t know everything, but there are some nice museums. Unless, of course, you don’t like museums,” he added, “I’m sure we could find something else.”

“Museums are good,” he said, amused. “Whatever you think, honestly. You know more than I do.”

Loki nodded, still looking thoughtful. “Alright. What time?”

Thor shrugged, “as soon as we get dressed.”

“Oh,” Loki seemed a little surprised, blinking silently for a moment, but he didn’t object. “Alright then,” he shrugged, turning back to his toast.

“Great,” Thor flashed him a grin and tried to keep his nerves at bay.

 

They spent most of the day in and out of museums, with a stop for lunch (and a perhaps more important one for ice cream). Loki’s favorite museum was decidedly the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Thor himself wasn’t too invested, but he thought it was nice to see Loki get actually excited about something. He’d take time to examine each piece, looking at something that Thor clearly didn’t have the eye to see. Thor’s favorite, personally, was the Museum of Natural History, particularly the fossil hall with all the dinosaurs. That made Loki laugh, probably because it was childish, but Thor didn’t mind.

By the end of the day, Thor actually had Loki laughing more often than not, and he found himself pulling Loki into a not-quite-hug as he said goodnight, a warm feeling in his chest. Something told him he should stop while he still could, but Thor never had been very good at that.

 

The next couple of months were busy, but Thor continued to catch Loki a few times a week, and managed to sit him down for meals more often than not. He began to get used to Loki’s quick-witted humor and sardonic jabs, and Loki began to open up more, often sprawling across the couch and complaining to Thor about a professor or classmate or– God forbid– a group project.

Steve and Bucky continued to keep their distance, but they didn’t make any more ill-natured remarks. Thor suspected that Natasha had something to do with that, but he didn’t approach the subject. And while their warnings remained in the back of his mind, the more he got to know Loki, the less they seemed plausible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Litha to everyone who's celebrating (though this may be a little early/late depending on where you live- it's a bit late for me)! Hope the summer solstice treats you well :)


	3. Messy Nights Make Messy Mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, we're getting a bit of Loki's POV in this chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about writing from his POV yet- I may do it again, may not. He's a little trickier to nail down than Thor, I have to say :)
> 
> Also! Sorry to anyone who's been waiting for this chapter, my internet has been out since Sunday and I just got it back up today!

It was a Wednesday night, and at 2 am, Thor was still up, trying to work out a recurring issue that the Manhattan branch kept having. His job certainly had its perks, but it was also a fair amount of trouble. He groaned as yet another email popped up, reminding him of meeting for tomorrow. Today, he reminded himself, looking at the clock. 

A noise at the door caught his attention– someone fumbling with a key, then the click of the lock. Loki stumbled in, looking (quite frankly) worse for wear than Thor had ever seen him. He leaned against the wall as the door swung shut behind him. Thor stood and made his way over, ready to get a glass of water. It looked like Loki would need it. 

He paused to check on Loki, who looked up at him as he stopped. His cheeks were pink (a common occurrence, Thor had noticed) and his eyes were glazed. “Thor?” He muttered it, and Thor could smell the alcohol on him even from a respectable distance. He nodded and filled a glass of water. Loki didn’t move, still leaning heavily on the wall, struggling to slip his shoes off. 

“Let’s sit you down,” Thor murmured, coming back and sliding underneath Loki’s arm, wrapping an arm around his waist for support. “Come on, to the couch.” Together, Loki leaning heavily on him, they made it to the couch, where Thor lowered them both down and pressed the glass into Loki’s hands. “Drink.” Loki regarded the glass blankly for a moment, blinking slowly, before he lifted it to his mouth. Only then did Thor notice that Loki’s hands were shaking slightly. 

_ God, I’m too old for this, _ he thought. 

Loki drank deeply, a little bit of water spilling down his chin. He looked a little more awake when he brought the glass down. “Good,” Thor murmured, taking the glass from him and setting it on the table. 

Loki looked up at him from under his eyelashes, leaning against Thor’s arm. Without warning, he pressed his nose into Thor’s neck, turning towards him. He murmured something into Thor’s skin, too quietly to make out. Thor froze for a moment, long enough for Loki to somehow swing himself over Thor so that he was straddling him, sitting in his lap. 

He smiled wickedly, leaning forward against Thor’s chest and reaching up to press his mouth to Thor’s neck, panting in warm, soft breaths, tongue hot and slick. He kissed his way up across Thor’s jaw, to his lips. He was warm and soft, and  _ God _ , it had been too long since Thor had done this. He opened his mouth, letting Loki’s taste creep across his tongue. Even through the alcohol, there was a sweet undertone. 

Thor’s hands were on Loki’s hips, gripping tight– probably too tight. He rolled his hips up and Loki whimpered, hands clutching at his shirt. Loki pressed forward, crushing their bodies together, and he could feel Loki’s erection through his clothes. 

Thor broke free, breathing hard, pushing Loki away– not far, just enough to get some air. He whined desperately, struggling to get closer, but he wasn’t nearly strong enough to break Thor’s grip. “Loki.  _ Loki _ ,” when he said it the second time, Loki stilled a little, staring at him with a pitiful look in his eyes. “You’re drunk. I’m not going to do this.”

“Thor, please– I don’t, I’m not that drunk,” his words were slurred slightly. 

Thor raised an eyebrow. “You’re drunk enough.” Glaring at him now, Loki ground his hips against Thor’s, hissing slightly as he did so. “That’s enough,” Thor said firmly, scooping him up easily. He walked over to Loki’s door before hesitating, remembering how private he was. So he switched tracks, pushing his own door open instead. Loki was mumbling into his shoulder, pleading with him as one of his hands curled into Thor’s shirt. Thor sighed as he set him down gently in his own bed and pressed him into the mattress. 

“That’s enough,” he said it more gently. Loki gazed at him from his place on the bed, looking dazed. Suddenly, he grabbed Thor’s collar, pulling himself forward to crush their mouths together again, kissing him desperately. Thor pushed him back down, and he whined again. “Shh,” he kept one hand on Loki’s shoulder as he pulled the covers over him. “You need to sleep.” Loki still looked dazed. “I’m going to go get some more water, don’t move.” He stood slowly, making sure Loki would stay put as he left. He padded out into the living room, scooping up Loki’s glass and going over to refill it. After a moment of thought, he grabbed a few ibuprofen before returning to his room. When he stepped in, Loki was already asleep, breathing slowly and quietly. Thor smiled to himself and shook his head, leaving the water and painkillers on the bedside table. 

What kind of mess had he gotten himself into?

 

Loki woke with a pounding headache. It was brighter than usual– why was it so bright? For a minute, he didn’t know where he was. The room slowly came into focus, and he noticed a glass of water on the table beside him. He picked it up thankfully, letting it soothe his sandpaper throat. His eyes caught on the painkillers, and he scooped those up as well, hoping they would help with the headache. Once he’d finished the water, he fell back again, throwing his arm across his eyes and groaning a little. Why was it so bright?

That’s when memories of the night before started to trickle in, little by little. He’d been drinking, that much was obvious. Things started to get fuzzy around the time he left to go home. He’d caught a ride with Amora, he was pretty sure, she’d dropped him off at the apartment building. He couldn’t remember much after that, except he kept getting flashes– Thor.  _ Thor _ . He sat bolt upright, scrambling out from under the covers, still in his clothes from the night before. 

He stumbled a little when he first stood, vision going black for a second. He waited for it to clear before he stumbled to the door, all but bursting out into the living room. He was met with an empty room, no one in the kitchen. He glanced over and saw Thor sprawled across one of the couches, blanket draped across him. It wasn’t quite long enough to cover all of him, so his feet stuck out at the end. 

What should he do? He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, keep his muscles from locking up. He paced back and forth, trying to ignore his pounding head and how goddamn  _ bright  _ everything was. He had to stop after a minute, going over to sit on the couch opposite to Thor, in an effort to calm his stomach and the way his head was spinning. 

It had been increasingly difficult to ignore Thor, with his golden hair and warm laugh and arms that could probably pick him up easily– that sparked a memory; Thor actually  _ had  _ picked him up last night. Loki swore to himself and ran a hand through his hair. Things just got worse by the minute, the more he remembered. 

God, he’d acted so desperate. He should’ve known, though. Drunk Loki was slutty Loki, anyone who’d seen him drunk would agree. Particularly when it came to tall blonde men with just the right amount of beard. 

Thor clearly wasn’t about to wake, and realizing that it was only six, Loki went ahead and took a quick shower, telling himself it was perfectly okay that he had to sit down a few times partway through. 

The headache finally started fading a little by the time he was getting dressed, probably the work of the painkillers. He shuffled back out to see that Thor still wasn’t awake, so he started the coffee pot and went ahead and brushed his teeth to get the horrid taste out of his mouth. By the time he had his mug of coffee and was back on the couch, Thor was finally starting to stir. 

Loki steeled himself, waiting for Thor to notice him. He sat up slowly, ruffling his blonde hair and stretching slowly. His eyes, still half-asleep, caught on Loki and he smiled pleasantly. “How are you feeling?” Loki wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but that wasn’t it. 

“Oh– oh, I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. “Thank you. I wanted to apologize. For last night.” Thor laughed and stood up, headed for the coffee. 

“You were drunk, it happens to the best of us.”

“Well, yes, and I can’t remember everything, but I know I was probably out of line,” Loki could feel warmth in his cheeks– he was probably blushing. 

Thor hummed softly in response. “Out of line? Overly friendly, maybe, but I don’t think I’d say you were out of line. I just have a problem with non-consensual sex, I’m sure you understand.” Loki could tell he’d amused himself by the way his mouth curved into a soft smile, eyes crinkling warmly. 

“Well, that’s just fantastic, isn’t it? I’m glad you have such outstanding moral character,” Loki found himself snapping. That happened a lot when he was anxious, and he tried to remind himself that Thor was being nothing but kind (even if that was half the problem). 

“I do try,” said Thor, coming to join him in the living room, coffee in tow. 

Loki hated him, hated how nice he was being. “You know, if you don’t want to fuck me, you can just say so.” 

Thor raised an eyebrow. “Good to know.” 

Loki felt his lip curl. “It’s great that you’re trying to be so nice,” he all but spat out, “but you can go ahead and drop the act. It’s not like it matters to me.” When Thor didn’t respond, he stood up, heading for his room. “Fuck this,” he said it mostly to himself. 

Thor moved over to block his path, and Loki was reminded (yet again) how large he was in comparison to Loki. “Hey, can we at least talk about this?”

Loki couldn’t see what there was to talk about. “You’re in my way.” He knew he was avoiding looking Thor in the eye, but he didn’t do anything about it. Thor hummed in response but didn’t say anything.

Loki felt Thor’s hand, warm and heavy and unexpected, on the back of his neck. Slowly, he pulled Loki into a kiss, giving him every chance to pull away if he wanted to. It was soft and short and chaste and not nearly enough. Loki glared at him before grabbing his collar and yanking him closer again, straight into an open-mouthed kiss. Thor made a noise deep in his chest that rumbled through Loki and settled in his stomach. 

When they broke apart, Loki was still glaring at him. “If you’re going to do something, at least do it right,” he snapped. He paused, giving himself just a moment to think.

Thor used his silence as a chance to speak. “Well, ‘right’ in this sense is subjective, isn’t it?” Loki paused before nodding reluctantly. “I suppose you’ll just have to show me what’s right for you then, hm?” He pulled Loki closer, driving a soft breath out of him. 

“No,” he said shortly, “I don’t think so.” He saw a flicker of disappointment in Thor’s eyes, sparking a wave of guilt in his stomach. “I have an 8 am class,” he explained, “and you have work. But maybe we can figure something out this evening.” Loki only stayed there long enough to see a slow smile start to make its way onto Thor’s face before slipping out of his grasp, around the couch and back into his room. 

He heard the latch catch behind him and leaned on the door, taking a slow breath. He padded over to the small window and opened the blinds before lighting some incense, letting the smoke float through the air, the lavender calming his anxiety. He rubbed his thumb over the ring he was wearing– Tiger’s Eye, perhaps not the best choice. He pulled it off and replaced it with amethyst. That would do well enough. Maybe by the end of the day, he'd manage to calm down. 


	4. On His Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been listening to the Elvis version of Can't Help Falling in Love With You lately and it's making me sentimental :')

Loki was definitely trouble, Thor decided. It had been nigh-impossible to concentrate, between the lack of sleep and the thoughts of a certain green-eyed someone. Frustrated with the lack of progress he was making, he went ahead and stood up to take his lunch break. A little early, but he wasn’t accomplishing anything by sitting there. As he waited by the elevator, Sif joined him. She’d been a bit of a mentor over the first few weeks, and in time, that had turned to a friendship.

“Thor,” she smiled warmly. “Good to see you.”

“And you, as always.”

“What are you up to?”

“Going to lunch– Provence,” the little cafe across the street. “I haven’t been too productive today, and I was hoping it might help clear my head.”

She nodded sympathetically, “mind if I join you?”

“Not at all, I’d love to have some company.”

“So, what’s been on your mind?” They stepped out of the elevator and Thor held the front door open for her.

“Not too much. I’ve just been pretty busy, with the new branch openings and T’Challa quitting, you know how it is. Plus, I had kind of a late night last night, so I’ve been a bit tired.”

“Oh? Late night?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, between the issues with the Manhattan branch and one of my roommates coming home drunk, I didn’t get much sleep.”

Sif laughed, tossing her dark hair behind her shoulder. “That sounds rough. Don’t worry, I know that things are a little crazy right now, but they’ll calm down. Can’t speak for your roommate, though. Does it happen a lot?”

“No, this was the first time, actually.” They picked up their food and chose a table, close to a window. “He was a little bit of a mess, so I decided to go ahead and make sure he got into bed and all, you know.” He refrained from mentioning the part where said roommate climbed into his lap.

“Well that was very chivalrous of you, wasn’t it?”

Thor laughed, abashed. “I don’t know about that, but thank you.” After a moment of silence passed, he decided it might be safest to change the topic. “But what about you? How has your week been?”

Sif shook her head, glancing out the window. “Well, like you said, T’Challa quitting has been a little rough. I mean, the woman who’s replaced him has been great, but I’m still having to show her around.”

“I don’t think I’ve met her yet. What’s her name?”

“Darcy Lewis. She’ll be working more with Jane than T’Challa did, which is good.”

“Honestly. It’s about time we got someone to help Jane out– Tony has been so difficult about funding in the labs lately.”

Sif waved her fork absentmindedly. “Yeah, and I think Darcy will be good for Jane. Lighten things up a little.”

Throughout lunch, while he was with Sif, he managed to keep his mind off Loki. Unfortunately, as soon as he sat back down at his desk, Loki popped right back into his thoughts. It was going to be a long afternoon.

 

Loki wasn’t there when Thor got back, and he wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. A little bit of both, probably. He decided to join Steve on his run  in the hopes that exercise would help clear his head, as it often did.

The New York streets were more crowded than he would’ve liked, and he found himself having to weave between people, which took more concentration than he wanted to spend. On top of that, the city atmosphere wasn’t helping. Plus, Thor noted, it was _cold_ – cold enough to make his lungs burn, actually. “Is it always like this?” He asked Steve between breaths.

“Like what?” They had to speak loudly to hear each other over the traffic.

Thor laughed, a little breathlessly, and shook his head. “Never mind.” Returning to the apartment, he decided that it was, all in all, not a very satisfying run. The shower afterwards was nice, though, water hot enough to distract him from the buzz in his head.

Loki didn’t show until he was in the middle of making dinner– vegetarian, in the hopes that Loki would appear. And appear he did, carrying his school bag and looking irritated. He threw his bag down and flopped onto one of the barstools, resting his head on the counter. “I hope that’s vegetarian,” he grumbled.

Thor nodded. “I thought you might be back soon. Rough day?”

“You have no idea.” He scrubbed at his eyes. “Remember how I was telling you about Charles? Well, if it’s any news, he still has a brick for a head. I don’t give a rat’s ass what font he uses for the presentation, but if he could choose one before next Christmas, that would be fantastic. It’s a biology presentation, it’s not like the professor cares.”

Thor set a bowl of pasta in front of him, and he tore into it viciously. Thor wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen someone eat so resentfully. “And then,” Loki continued, mouth full, “he has the _audacity_ to tell me to hurry up with the citrate slide, which, mind you, I finished two days ago. I finished everything two days ago, actually.” He took a deep breath and rubbed his thumb slowly over the ring he was wearing. The murderous look slipped from his face a little, and he continued eating more calmly. “Whatever. I’ll deal with it.”

“Sounds like you’re almost done.”

“Yeah,” Loki sighed, sweeping a hand through his hair. “I just hope I never have to talk to him again after we’re done with this project.”

Thor laughed, breaking Loki’s stubborn frown a little. “We can hope.”  

They finished dinner and cleaned up, so normally that Thor was almost convinced nothing had happened between them. He sank into the couch afterwards, sighing softly as he let himself relax into the soft cushions. He didn’t get much of a break, though– only a few moments later, Loki was clambering into his lap, all long limbs and black hair. He paused once he was there, mouth curling into a sharp smile. He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he leaned forward and kissed Thor.

Thor wrapped his hands around Loki’s waist and pulled him closer, slipping his tongue into Loki’s mouth. Loki was decidedly less forward when he wasn’t drunk, but he still twisted his fingers into Thor’s hair and pushed their hips together. Thor growled and took Loki’s lower lip between his teeth, drawing a shaky moan from him. Loki let him take control then, and he slipped down to Loki’s neck, gentle at first, then not so gentle. When he let his teeth scrape skin, Loki let out a sharp little noise, and Thor pulled back, hoping he hadn’t hurt him.

“Fuck, don’t stop, please,” Loki panted, rutting against him. Thor nodded, smiling faintly, and pressed his mouth to Loki’s collarbone, less careful, intending to leave a mark. Loki twitched under him, hands moving to the bottom of Thor’s shirt.

“Whoa, babe,” Thor broke away, and Loki whined needily. “My room,” he said decisively, gathering Loki in his arms and standing. Loki let a little surprised noise slip out, clinging to Thor like he was afraid of falling.

Thor set him on the bed and immediately climbed after him, wedging himself between Loki’s thighs. He was beautiful, hair mussed and cheeks flushed, lips parted slightly and slick with spit. Loki reached up and started tugging at Thor’s shirt up with trembling fingers. Thor helped him, tossing his shirt to the side before all but tearing Loki’s shirt off him, clamping his mouth back onto his pale skin. Thor noticed that he was, in fact, wearing a pentagram necklace, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at that moment. He left a trail of red marks down Loki’s chest, fumbling with his jeans a little before yanking them down, briefs following close behind.

“Fuck,” he murmured, pressing his fingers into Loki’s hips to keep them still. Loki’s cock was fully hard, leaking onto his stomach.

“Thor, please,” Loki pleaded with him, hands curled into the sheets. Thor always liked the way his name sounded in Loki’s mouth, soft and round, but this was different. Better.

“Shh, babe,” he rubbed his thumbs in soothing circles.

Loki bucked against his grip, desperate for some friction, but Thor held on. “Come on, Thor, I– I can’t, please–”

Thor cut him off when he pressed his mouth to the base of Loki’s cock, drawing a high-pitched moan from his lips. He licked a slow stripe up the shaft before swiping his tongue across the tip, lapping up the precum there. Loki moaned and twitched slightly when he wrapped his lips around the head, moving his tongue in gentle circles and wrapping one of his hands around the shaft.

Thor bobbed his head up and down a few times before pulling off, leaving open-mouthed kisses up and down the sides of his cock. Loki whined a little, and Thor glanced up at him, sprawled across Thor’s bed, the sunset throwing slivers of orange light across the room and across his skin. He reached down and curled a hand gently into Thor’s hair, licking his lips and taking a deep breath. Thor suddenly became very aware of his own arousal, untended and uncomfortable.

Looking back down, Thor took Loki into his mouth again, further down the shaft this time. Loki’s hips twitched up, and his breath hitched as Thor started moving. It wasn’t long before he said, “Thor, I’m close,” between pants. Thor hummed around his cock, and he cried out, hips stuttering as he came in Thor’s mouth.

Thor waited for him to finish, moving gently, then sat back, swallowing as Loki came down from his high. He lay there for a moment, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He lifted a hand, waving Thor closer, pulling him into a kiss. When he broke away, he made a face, giggling a little. “You taste like me.”

“I know,” Thor grinned, kissing him again, tracing the curve of Loki’s cheek gently. He pulled back slowly, sitting back on the bed. Loki pulled his jeans back up, buttoning them quickly, fumbling a little with the zipper. Thor sat on the edge of the bed, watching as he did so.

Once he’d finished, Loki turned back to him, eyes raking up and down his torso appreciatively. He came closer, pressing (yet another) kiss to Thor’s lips before kneeling down to tug at his waistband. Slowly, Loki pulled his sweatpants and boxers down, and Thor lifted his hips slightly to help.

Loki paused when he saw Thor’s cock, lips parted slightly. “You okay? You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Thor told him gently.

Loki glared up at him. “I do want to. It’s just– it’s bigger than I expected.” Thor smiled and ran a hand through Loki’s hair.

“Just take it slow, okay?” Loki nodded and leaned forward, sucking gently at the base of his cock. He made his way up Thor’s length slowly, not bothering to keep things from getting messy. By the time he reached the tip, Thor was breathing heavily. He slid his mouth (wickedly hot, wickedly slick) over Thor’s cock slowly, looking up at him from under his eyelashes. The sight of Loki’s pristine pink lips stretched around him made Thor swear, tightening his hand in Loki’s hair.

Loki added a hand, moving his tongue in a way that sent shivers up Thor’s spine. He pulled off to get a breath of air, staring up at Thor with his clear green eyes, still moving his hand leisurely. When he took  Thor back into his mouth, he went a little far, gagging slightly. “Careful,” Thor murmured. Loki didn’t respond, but tightened his grip slightly, sucking harder. It was hard for Thor to keep his hips still, and he made a quiet noise, deep in his throat. That seemed to encourage Loki, who started moving again with renewed vigor. Thor loved how warm he was, how his tongue moved (Thor didn’t want to know how he’d learned to do it), how all his little noises sent vibrations through his mouth (and then, by extension, through Thor). The room melted away– between the wet heat and Loki’s pretty, pretty face, Thor couldn’t think of much else.

Thor tipped his head back, breathing growing more ragged. “I’m gonna come soon,” he ground out, free hand clenched in the sheets beneath him. Loki didn’t back off. Thor groaned as he spilled into Loki’s mouth, muscles locked and warmth spilling through him. He let the orgasm run its course, as leisurely as an orgasm could be. Loki pulled back too early, and a bit of Thor’s spend ended up on his face. “Shit,” Thor said, “sorry. Here.” He leaned over to grab a few tissues, handing them over to Loki. He was still delightfully warm and already was feeling the pull of sleep. Loki cleaned himself up quickly, swallowing what he had in his mouth while Thor pulled his pants back up.

Loki looked sleepily pleased with himself after he’d finished, and Thor wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him close and falling into the bed in one motion. Loki squeaked a little as they went down, and Thor laughed, pressing a kiss to the top of Loki’s head.

Loki looked at him balefully but didn’t say anything, only squirming around to make himself comfortable. Once he’d snuggled into Thor’s chest, he stilled, and Thor could feel his soft breath on his skin. He fell asleep that way, running a hand through Loki’s hair and watching the shifting shadows on the walls. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely didn't intend to have this happen so soon but here it is... startin out pretty vanilla here. I feel like there's potential for a daddy kink tho and I sort of live for daddy dom Thor so let me know in the comments if you're feeling it or not!


	5. Too Soon

Thor woke first, with the early rays of the sun. Loki was still curled in his arms, asleep. Thor took the chance to take a closer look at his tattoos, running from his right wrist up to his shoulder. It wasn’t really a full sleeve, per se, since none of the individual tattoos were entirely connected to the others, but it was still effectively a sleeve. He wasn’t really sure what all of it was (he’d like to ask Loki), but it was cluttered with different things– crystals, leaves, flowers, a few different moons and stars and that sort of thing. A large bird’s skull covered the back of his upper arm, and– Thor wasn’t sure if he was surprised– near his elbow, there was a pentagram. He decided he wouldn’t say anything to Bucky.

Deciding it was probably time to get up, Thor somehow managed to disentangle himself from Loki and slip out of bed without waking him. He headed into the kitchen, shivering slightly, to start the coffee– he was already dreading the series of meetings that awaited him at work: first, a finance meeting with Jane and Darcy, which he suspected wouldn’t be too bad, then a couple of larger meetings revolving around new partnerships, and finally a one-on-one meeting with Tony, which he was dreading.

Steve joined him as he was in the middle of pouring cereal for himself. Always the morning person, he looked more or less awake already. “Hey, Steve,” Thor nodded to him. “What’s up?”

“Not too much– you?”

Thor shrugged, pouring himself some coffee. “Yeah, same.”

“I almost forgot, I was gonna ask– I’m probably going on a run this afternoon, want to come?”

“That would be great,” Thor smiled. “I’m still trying to get used to running here.”

“You would be if you did it more often,” Steve grinned at him. “You just go to the gym too much. You should get out more!”

Thor shook his head, grimacing. “I don’t know about that. I’m always a little worried about what the air’s doing to me.”

“It’s fine,” Steve scoffed. “I mean, look at me, I’ve been here for years and I’m fine.”

“So far,” Thor muttered, unconvinced.

Steve ignored him. “Does 6:00 work for you?”

“Sure, meet you here?”

“Sounds like a plan. I’m off to work, see you this afternoon!”

“Early, isn’t it?” Thor checked the time, making sure he didn’t have to leave yet.

“Yeah, a bit,” Steve admitted. “But I’m hoping to get off a little early today, so I wanted to just get a head start.”

“Makes sense,” Thor nodded. “I’ll see you later, then?”

“Yep,” Steve grabbed his bag. “Good luck at work!”

“You too,” Thor smiled as he watched the apartment door swing shut behind him. That left Thor to pour a second cup of coffee and go back to his bedroom, setting the mug on the bedside table next to Loki.

Loki, apparently halfway awake, cracked an eye open. He sat up slowly to investigate. Finding the coffee, he pulled it into his hands and took a few sips. “Thanks,” he murmured.

“No problem.” Thor pulled a shirt on and buttoned it up, getting ready for work. He stilled when he felt Loki’s arms around his waist, pressed up against his back.

“I had a nice time last night,” Loki said quietly. “We should do it again sometime.” Thor turned in his arms, taking his chin in hand and kissing him slowly.

“I’d love to.”

Loki blinked slowly and a smile curled across his face. He tugged on the collar of Thor’s shirt, looking at it appreciatively. “You look good in a button down.”

Thor scoffed, “I look good in anything.”

“Well, I’ll be the judge of that,” Loki said, smirking. “So far you’re doing alright, but you'll have to keep it up.”

“I hope I continue to impress.”

Loki hummed in response and let go of him, stepping back. “Well, I should let you get ready for work, shouldn’t I?”

Thor was a little disappointed, but Loki was right. “Yeah, probably.” He hoped his feelings didn’t bleed into his voice, as they often did. He grabbed a pair of slacks and buckled on his watch, while Loki curled back into his bed.

“You mind if I stay in your bed?”

“Why would I mind? I’m not exactly going to be using it.” Loki shrugged and pulled the covers up over his shoulders, watching silently as Thor got ready for the day. Thor liked the way the sun poured into his room in the morning, painting everything golden. His room got a lot of sun in general– on the days that the sun was out, anyway. New York was grayer than he’d like.

As he drifted about, in and out of the room, Loki stayed put, eyelids heavy but not quite closed yet. Before he left, Thor knelt by the bed, laying a hand on the side of Loki’s neck. Loki just looked at him, eyes half-closed, expression unreadable. His hair spilled across the pillow, black against stark white.

“I’m leaving now, alright?” Loki nodded and tilted his head so that Thor could reach his neck more easily. “I’ll see you later, yes?”

“Well, we do live in the same apartment, I would hope so,” Loki drawled, but he was smiling a little.

“I have no doubt you could avoid me if you wanted to,” Thor said, returning the smile. He ruffled Loki’s hair as he stood, earning a noise of protest. “But I hope you don’t.” Loki gave him a look.

“I don’t plan to, so don’t do anything stupid and you should be fine.”

“I’ll try my best,” Thor promised. Loki hummed and burrowed deeper into the blankets.

“Good.” He sounded content, and Thor left him there, heading out and hoping that Loki would remember to eat breakfast.

 

Thor’s meeting with Jane and Darcy was predictably enjoyable, and relatively short. It felt short, at least. He met Darcy for the first time (he liked her sense of humor), and was glad to see that she and Jane also got along well together. Sif was right, she would do Jane good.

The rest of his meetings dragged on, though the day as a whole flew by. His last meeting with Tony came all too soon. It wasn’t quite as painful as he expected, despite having to try and pressure Tony into giving the labs more funding (quite a feat, considering that Tony has never been one to be pressured into anything). Thor liked Tony, really, he just wished he didn’t have to work with him sometimes.

When the meeting was (finally) finished, he stood up, but Tony stopped him before he could go. “Thor.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes?”

“I’m having a little,” he waved his hands as he spoke, “get together, say, for Bruce’s promotion. I was hoping you’d come. Well, Sif and Jane were hoping you’d come, but I technically have to approve it since it’s my house, you know.” Thor wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or not by the end.

“Well, I’d like to, but–”

“Next Friday, 7:30. If you have any questions, just ask Sif. She seems invested in this.”

“I– alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good man.” His attention dropped back to his work, and Thor excused himself. He didn’t even know where Tony lived, come to think of it– he’d have to talk to Sif about it.

 

“So, how are things with Loki?” Steve brought up the topic in the middle of their run, and Thor almost lost his footing when he did.

“Fine, I guess,” he tried his best not to give anything away.

“Fine?” The question was clear in his voice.

“Yeah, I mean, same as usual,” Thor lied. “He’s a sweet kid, in all. A bit sarcastic, though,” he smiled at the understatement. “Still haven’t seen his room, but then again, I don’t think he’s seen mine.” They stopped at a street corner, waiting for the light to turn.

Steve narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Thor. “So nothing’s happened, then? You’re being weird about it.”

“What? What do you mean, ‘happened?’ Everything is the same as normal, pretty much.”

Steve stared at him for another moment. “You’re a terrible liar,” he said bluntly. The light changed and they were running again. “Well,” he said thoughtfully, “you don’t have to tell me. I’ll find out sooner or later.”

“Steve, I’m telling you, nothing’s happened.” Steve shot him a look but didn’t press the issue. The conversation left a bad taste in Thor’s mouth, but he tried to forget about it.

He didn’t see Loki that evening, leaving him both disappointed and a little relieved, but when he slipped into bed, he noticed that the sheets still smelled like him. It was a multifaceted scent– citrus, sage, lavender, and some other spice (allspice, perhaps– Thor wouldn’t really know). It was strangely comforting, though, lulling Thor to sleep easily.

 

He was incredibly glad for the weekend, and the extra sleep that came with it. Waking up late on Saturday was wonderful, as was the lazy morning that followed. He was sitting on the couch, cup of coffee on hand, trying not to get angry about the news, when Loki emerged. He was wearing fuzzy pajama pants and a sweatshirt that positively swamped him, and his hair stuck up on one side. He dropped onto the couch beside Thor before draping himself halfway across Thor’s lap.

“Good morning,” Thor ruffled his hair. “You look awake.”

He groaned and hid his face in Thor’s shirt. Thor was halfway amazed by how affectionate he’d been, once Thor had initiated things. With Loki relatively unresponsive, he settled for running a hand through his black hair as he continued reading the news. He realized after a few minutes that Loki’d fallen asleep, and he was left with quiet breathing and dark eyelashes that fluttered every now and then.

The sound of the front door opening was loud in the quiet apartment, but Loki didn’t move. “So, wait, when will you be gone?”

Thor looked over his shoulder to see Steve and Natasha come in, Bucky close behind. “I leave November 10th and then I’m gone for about a week,” Natasha answered Steve’s question. Her eyes caught on Thor and she smiled, nodding to him. He smiled back, somewhat tersely, and made a motion that he hoped would tell them to shut up. Natasha caught it and tilted her head inquisitively.

“Thor!” Bucky let the door fall shut behind him. His was voice was loud enough that Thor expected Loki to wake, but he only stirred slightly. Thor shook his head and pressed a finger to his lips, a little desperate. “Shit, man, what’s up?” At least he said it quietly.

Natasha invited herself further into the apartment, rounding the couch where Thor was sitting and heading for the other couch. Her eyebrows jumped up when she caught sight of Loki, and her lips quirked into a smile. She slid onto the other couch and leaned on the armrest. “So,” she whispered, “I suppose this is the elusive roommate.”

Steve and Bucky joined them, looking surprised out of speaking (Thor was thankful for that). Bucky slid onto the couch next to Natasha, while Steve took a chair, eyes sparking slightly.

“I told you something was up,” he hissed at Thor, smiling all the while.

“So, what _is_ up?” Natasha looked curious in the way that cats are curious about mice.

“We’re friends.”

“Friends or _friends_?”

Thor shrugged and suddenly found himself very glad that he didn’t usually blush. “I don’t know? Is it important?”

She smirked. “I think that answers my question.”

“So, how long has this,” Bucky gestured in their general direction, “been a thing?”

“I’ve been nice to him from the beginning, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Bucky shook his head. “No, but _this_ . It’s pretty fucking _friendly_ , if you ask me.” Thor didn’t really have a response, and before he could think of anything to say, Bucky kept going. “Do you think he’s a Satanist?” He had a fascinated look on his face.

Thor was stunned into silence again, but it didn’t last too long. “What the _fuck_ , Bucky? No, I don’t think he’s a Satanist! He’s a sweet kid, and you’re lucky I can’t get up right now.”

“Well, I mean, you _could_ ,” Steve muttered, and Thor shot him a glare. He felt Loki’s breathing shift slightly, and a glance down told him that his eyes were opening. Loki tensed up and his hand, resting against Thor’s thigh, curled into the fabric of his pants.

“Not helping.” Thor continued to run his hand through Loki’s hair in an attempt to soothe him.

“Ignore them, Thor,” Natasha drew his attention back. “I think he looks cute. I do have to ask, though– is he legal?”

Her question, at least, was legitimate. “Yeah, he’s nineteen. College. And we haven’t _done_ anything, really.” That was only half true, but they didn’t have to know that.

“Well, I think we’ve ogled the poor thing enough,” she said, closing the conversation neatly and leaving no room for argument. “Steve, Bucky, you said I could check out that desk?” They got up in a flurry of murmured assent and hasty clumsiness. Natasha stood to follow them, but paused to place a hand on Thor’s arm. “I am going to meet him properly one of these days, you hear?”

“Yes ma’am,” he smiled and rubbed his thumb in soft circles on Loki’s cheek. Natasha smiled ever so slightly before heading into Steve and Bucky’s room, presumably to look at the desk they’d promised she could have.

Loki waited for a few moments after she’d left to sit up. Thor thought he looked like he was about to cry. “Hey, you okay?” He murmured it softly, keeping his hand on the back of Loki’s neck. Loki nodded, but his eyes flicked anxiously to Steve and Bucky’s room. “Want to go to my room?”

Loki seemed to consider the question for a moment, pausing before nodding uncertainly. Without much warning, Thor scooped him up, bridal style, reminding himself of the night when Loki’d come back drunk. He felt oddly protective, holding Loki to his chest. He didn’t want to let him go.

When he sat down on the bed, he set Loki on his lap and wrapped his arms around him. Loki nuzzled into Thor’s neck, clinging to him. As much as he hated to do it, Thor pulled him up so that he could see his face. “What’s wrong, baby? Come on, you can talk to me,” he tried to coax it out of him. It made his heart hurt, the way Loki looked at him with those big watery eyes, the way his bottom lip trembled almost imperceptibly.

“Have they done anything to you?” The resulting quiet noise (painful) that escaped from Loki’s lips told Thor that the answer might be yes. He let Loki tuck his face back into his neck and rubbed his hand in big circles against Loki’s back. Thor really was going to kill them.

He was trying not to cry, Thor could tell, and it wasn’t working too well. He could feel the wetness soaking into his shirt. “They’re nothing to be afraid of, I promise I won’t let them hurt you.” Loki shook his head, but didn’t say anything. Thor managed to coax him back out, wiping the tears off his face gently.

He pressed a kiss to his cheek, then another to his lips. Loki opened his mouth almost as soon as he did, inviting him in. Thor thought he might just be trying to distract himself, but that didn’t stop him from slipping his tongue in. Loki was _warm_ and slightly sweet (as usual), and when Thor caught his lip between his teeth, the little noise he made was intoxicating.

Thor really did have to make himself pull back and break away. He waited another moment before he spoke. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“I just– fuck, they think I’m such a freak. Steve, especially.” He wiped his face on the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

“I don’t necessarily think that’s true. And at any rate, their opinions shouldn’t matter. Believe me, I’m friends with them, they’re just idiots.” Loki shot him a half-hearted glare.

“Sure, you would know.” Thor wasn’t entirely sure what he meant by that, but he knew it wasn’t a good thing.

“Hey, now–”

“Don’t ‘hey, now’ me,” he snapped a little. Thor was thrown off by his sudden change in demeanor, and he didn’t do anything when Loki shuffled off his lap. “Fuck, it doesn’t matter.” He scrubbed a hand across his face and pressed his lips together. “I’m going back to bed.” He didn’t look at Thor as he left, eyes on the ground and feet padding against the floor.

By the time Thor came to his senses and jumped up from the bed to follow him, Loki’s door was already closed. There was no sign it would open anytime soon. “Loki.” He leaned against the door frame. “I’m serious, I want to talk about this with you.” He waited for another moment, to no response. “Please?” Still nothing. After a minute or two of waiting, he sighed and pushed himself off the wall. “I’m not giving up,” he told the door. It didn’t answer him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of people said they'd like to see daddy kink so I'm starting in that direction :)


	6. Repairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I've been totally swamped lately :( but I think the next chapter should be coming pretty soon, so that's the good news!

Thor stalked across the apartment, throwing the door to Steve and Bucky’s room open without warning. Natasha was still there, and all three of them looked up when he walked in. “You,” he looked pointedly at Steve, “and you,” he turned to Bucky, “need to get your act together.”

“Pardon?” Steve looked taken aback, while Bucky just raised his eyebrows.

“You’ve been treating Loki like shit for long enough, and I’m starting to get sick of it.” Steve, at least, had the conscience to look a little guilty. Bucky shrugged and avoided making eye contact.

“Okay, we haven’t been _terrible_. I think that’s going a little far,” Steve argued, crossing his arms.

“How would you feel if you were judged for something that you don’t have any control over? Like being bi, maybe?” Steve pressed his lips together, and Thor knew he’d gotten his point across. “You don’t have to go out of your way or anything, just give him a chance.”

Steve, looking relatively shamed, nodded in concession. “Just– be friendly?”

“Exactly.”

“I can do that. I think.” He looked halfway resigned, but his tone suggested that he actually would try, and Thor trusted his word.

“Alright,” Bucky finally spoke up. “I don’t have anything against it.” He looked wholly unconcerned about the entire situation.

Thor stared at him. “Will you _try_ to be nice? Like, actually try. Not being an ass is one thing, but being nice is another.”

“Yes, fine, I’ll be nice. Well. I’ll try. Is that good enough?”

Thor fixed him with another stare before nodding slowly. “Good enough. I hope we can work it out.” He glanced over at Natasha, who’d been watching the entire time, looking amused. “Sorry to interrupt,” he told her.

“It’s fine by me,” she smirked slightly. “I always like to watch a catfight.” Thor rolled his eyes (even if he was smiling), excusing himself as Steve and Bucky began bickering with her about whether or not it was a catfight (‘we weren’t arguing with him!’).

Even after he’d finished with that, there was still the matter of Loki– Thor wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, but he wanted to at least try and make him feel better. Sighing to himself, he tried to convince himself it wasn’t a waste of a perfectly good Saturday and started pulling out ingredients to make brownies.

He was stirring in the eggs when Natasha emerged, sliding onto one of the barstools and putting her elbows on the table. “They’ll be out in a bit,” she explained. “I think they’re having some _quality_ time.”

Thor shot her a look. “I didn’t need to know that.”

She raised an eyebrow and smiled thinly. “Neither did I, but here we are. Am I gonna get one of those?” She nodded to the brownie batter.

“Yeah, since you haven’t been an asshat lately.”

“You’re really pissed, aren’t you? What happened?”

Thor shook his head, glancing at Loki’s door. “I don’t know, I just got fed up with it. They’re great friends, really, and they’re not usually like this. Well, Bucky is Bucky, and I can’t say too much for him, but I really expected better from Steve.”

Natasha shrugged. “He’s got strict morals. Things that don’t fit into his worldview can cause problems. Bucky, on the other hand, is mostly doing it because he thinks it’s sort of entertaining. If you take the fun out of it, he’ll quit.”

Thor slid the brownies into the oven and set the timer before joining her at the counter. “Well, thanks for the psychoanalysis.”

“I didn’t minor in psychology for nothing.”

Thor ran a hand through his hair, staring at the counter. “Yeah. I think I’ll just have to see how this one goes.” She nodded and swiped her finger across the rim of the bowl, catching some of the leftover brownie batter.

“Probably.”

 

Thor placed the (cooled) brownies in a paper bag as Steve and Bucky watched on. Bucky was frowning, while Steve just looked resigned.

“So, is this our punishment?” Bucky asked, nodding to the brownies he’d been denied.

“Part of it,” Thor told him, pushing a piece of paper towards him. “I want you to write an apology. Both of you. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated, it just has to be something.” Steve, his conscience getting the better of him, went first, writing a sincere (if slightly stiff) apology. Bucky went second, reluctantly, and simply wrote _‘sorry I was a dick– I’ll try to be nicer_ _,’_ with his signature scrawled underneath. Thor shot him a look, but let it go. If nothing else, he thought, Loki would find it amusing. He thought they might actually get along well, if they ever managed to have a conversation.

Thor took the paper back, adding on his own little note ( _hope you’re doing ok- let me know if you need anything_ ) at the bottom before taping it to the bag. He set it in front of Loki’s door, knocking softly. “Loki. I have something for you.” He waited for a few moments, though he doubted that he’d get any sort of response. “I’ll just leave it here.” He stepped away from the door.

“Well,” Bucky broke the silence, “I’m gonna go get some coffee. You guys coming?”

Thor shrugged and glanced at Steve, who looked eager to do something (he’d always been a doer, Thor had noticed– he never had been very good at just standing around). “Can’t hurt, can it?”

 

Thor ducked his head against the rain and wished he’d remembered to bring an umbrella. Rain in and of itself didn’t bother him, but New York rain was _cold_ and the water seeping into his sweatshirt left him freezing.

He hadn’t seen Loki since Saturday, but the brownies had disappeared, which he took as a good sign. Even so, coming back from the gym on Tuesday afternoon, he was starting to worry. Three days felt like an awfully long time when you were waiting for something (or someone).

When he shuffled into the apartment, shrugging his jacket off and shivering a little, he noticed that the tea kettle was on. Bucky and Steve were out– a work function of some sort, though Thor couldn’t remember exactly what Bucky had said– which left exactly one person who might be making tea.

Smiling a little to himself, Thor ducked into his room for just long enough to change into some dry clothes (he’d never been more thankful for central heat). By the time he made his way back out into the kitchen, Loki was standing by the counter, a mug between his hands.

His eyes caught on Thor, and his expression fell somewhere between surprised and something that Thor couldn’t distinguish. “I didn’t know we had tea,” Thor said mildly.

Loki glanced down at the mug, then back up at him. “ _We_ don’t. But I do. I keep some in my room.” Thor nodded and slid onto one of the barstools. Loki seemed sort of stiff, like he didn’t really know what to do with himself. “I– you could have some, if you wanted?” He offered hesitantly, almost afraid of rejection.

“What kinds do you have?” Loki seemed to relax a little at that, and he told Thor to wait for a moment. He slipped into his room, and when he came back out, he was carrying a wooden box wider than he was. He dropped it on the counter in front of Thor, looking pleased with himself.

“That. Is a lot of tea.”

“You have no idea. So, I usually use bagged tea– I keep it all in here,” he gestured to the box, “because it’s easier and a little cheaper, but if you’re particular about it, I have some nice loose leaf teas in my room.”

“No, I’ll have to be honest, I don’t drink much tea. Choose for me?”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Well, we’ll have to fix that.” He snagged one of the tea bags out of the box before snapping it closed and heading over for a mug. “Tea is good for your health, you ought to drink it more often.” Thor laughed a little, and Loki shot him a sharp look. “I’m serious. It’s got a lot of antioxidants, and it’s good for your teeth. Bones, in general. Not to mention, if you use the right kind, it can do wonders for your mood.”

“You seem like quite the connoisseur.”

“Well, you know, if I can’t make it in the fashion industry, I’ll just become a tea leaf farmer. That’s my backup plan.”

“Really?”

Loki, setting the kettle down, shot him another look. “Do I look like I’d be a good farmer?”

“Point taken.”

“Milk or sugar?”

Thor hesitated. “I don’t usually use either.”

Loki pursed his lips. “Well, if you’d said that at the beginning, I would’ve used a green tea.” He hummed quietly to himself before adding a bit of each to Thor’s tea anyway. “Something tells me you don’t know how to drink tea.”

“Oh, and you do?”

“I studied in London for a semester in high school, thank you. I know how to make tea.” Thor had to laugh at his severe attitude, but he accepted the tea with a thank you regardless.

“Okay,” he admitted, after he’d tried it. “Maybe you know what you’re talking about.”

“Thank you,” Loki said, quite pleased with himself. He slid onto the barstool next to Thor’s and took a careful sip of his tea. “Thanks for the brownies, by the way.”

“Think of it as an apology for not doing anything about Steve and Bucky earlier.” Loki shrugged.

“I mean, I don’t mind them so much. It’s just that– I don’t know, I’d sort of hoped we could at least be friendly, when I first moved in. But then–” he hesitated. “I don’t know, things went downhill.” Thor got the sense there was something Loki wasn’t telling him, but he didn’t want to push it, so he nodded in (what he hoped was) an understanding way instead.

“Well, hopefully, this’ll all blow over and then things will be more civil around here.” Loki nodded thoughtfully but didn’t respond.

Thor finished his tea long before Loki (who insisted that it was something you ought to sip and would not be hurried) did, but he didn’t mind waiting. Particularly since he hadn’t seen Loki in a few days– he’d missed talking to him.

Thor helped him clean up, though to be truthful, there was very little to do. Even so, it gave him the chance to press Loki against the counter once they were finished, sliding his thigh between Loki’s and letting his hands fall to Loki’s hips.

Loki smiled (one of his signature sharp smiles) and reached up, twisting his fingers into Thor’s hair and tugging gently. Thor leaned down and pressed his mouth against Loki’s, immersing himself in his citrus-sage-spice scent, his lemon-honey taste, his soft panting breaths.

Three days really had felt like forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That tea scene is actually based on the time my friend from London totally railed how I drink tea. Turns out she was right, and I actually ended up changing how I make it!


	7. Together

Loki gently pushed Thor to the bed, moving quickly to straddle him. He could feel Thor’s cock, hard already, even through his clothes. Thor pulled him closer and pressed his mouth to Loki’s neck, hands firm on his hips and tongue hot against his skin. Loki wondered vaguely if it would leave a mark, but when he felt the graze of teeth, he decided he didn’t care. He ground his hips forward, and Thor made a noise deep in his chest that sent soft vibrations through Loki’s body.

Thor’s hands slid up under his shirt, running across his stomach, sides, back, warm and smooth and dry. He pulled back, giving Loki enough room to slip his shirt off. Thor grinned and mirrored the action before pulling him closer again and kissing him hungrily, tongue invasive and searching.

Loki rolled his hips forward, seeking friction he hadn’t even realized he’d wanted. Thor growled slightly in response, grabbing Loki abruptly and flipping him onto his back. His hands moved down to slip off Loki’s pants, and Loki lifted his hips off the bed slightly to help.

Thor sat back for a moment, eyes raking over Loki’s body, an approving look in his eyes. Loki tried not to let embarrassment get the better of him; he felt very bare, vulnerable under Thor’s gaze. Thor seemed to pick up on his discomfort, placing a hand on his stomach and leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to his cheek, close to his ear. “You look beautiful,” he murmured. Loki was pretty sure he was blushing, based on the heat in his cheeks.

Thor leaned over and fumbled with the drawer of his nightstand, coming up with a bottle in hand. He coated a few of his fingers in lube and reached down. Loki felt a thrill go through him– this was _real_ – as Thor’s fingers brushed against his hole, slick and warmer than he’d expected. He lingered there, letting Loki get used to the feeling before pressing his first finger in. Loki twitched involuntarily at the feeling, at the stretch, at the slight pressure.

“You okay?” Loki nodded, gasping a little when Thor pressed deeper. “Here,” he slid his other hand under Loki’s leg, “can you hold your legs up for me, babe?”

“Sure,” his voice was breathier than he’d hoped it would be. He slipped his hands under his knees and pulled his legs up. He felt even more exposed like that, but he tried to ignore it, avoiding looking Thor in the eyes.

Thor reached up to place his hand on Loki’s cheek, turning his face gently to look at him. “You sure you’re okay with this?” Loki shivered at the rough note in his voice. Yes, he was definitely okay with this

“Yeah, I– I want this.”

Thor nodded, eyes soft. Loki was acutely aware of his finger, still moving inside him. “Okay. Just let me know if you want to stop.” Loki licked his lips (they felt dry) and nodded. “Good boy,” Thor purred, sending a wave of arousal through Loki. He hummed a little at the praise, spreading his legs slightly wider. Thor raised an eyebrow, amused. “What, you like that?” He added a second finger without much warning, drawing a gasp and a shudder from Loki. He screwed his eyes closed, trying to steady his breathing and adjust to the stretch. It burned a little, but not unpleasantly.

“Yes,” he breathed, only half-expecting Thor to hear it.

Thor rubbed his thumb across his cheek. “Eyes open,” he coaxed, and Loki obeyed. Thor’s hand slid down, to Loki’s lips, and he opened his mouth enough to allow Thor’s fingers in. “Suck.” He said it almost experimentally, like he was wondering how far he could go. Loki stared up at him and closed his mouth around those two fingers, sucking them further into his mouth and swirling his tongue up against them.

Loki’d always had a thing for older, more experienced men– and in the last year or two, he’d even go as far as to say a daddy kink– but he’d never thought it would be a reality. This– _Thor_ – was what he hadn’t dared to hope for. He was praying he wouldn’t mess it up.  

Thor slipped his fingers out of Loki’s mouth, wiping them on the sheets. “Good boy.” Loki noticed that his voice was deeper this time, and he whined quietly. Quite suddenly, Thor curled his fingers– specifically, the ones still inside Loki– up, hitting a spot that jerked a cry from his lips. “There we go,” Thor smiled and repeated the motion. Loki’s hips bucked suddenly and he clapped a hand across his mouth to shut himself up.

Thor reached up and pulled his hand down. “I wanna hear you, baby,” he murmured. Loki whimpered as he added a third finger, but the pain was forgotten when Thor brushed against the spot again (and again, and again). Loki tipped his head back, panting, trying to keep his hips still and his head clear. He could feel his cock leaking against his stomach, so hard it almost ached.

Thor slipped his fingers out, and Loki whined at the empty feeling that followed. “Shh, baby, you’re okay,” Thor’s voice was soothing as he pulled his pants down just enough to free his cock, and began to coat it in lube. Loki was reminded of just how large Thor was– he wondered dazedly if he would even fit.

“Alright,” Thor leaned over, “it may hurt a bit, but we’ll go slowly. If you want to stop, just tell me. You okay?”

Loki nodded, mouth dry. “Just– be careful. I haven’t– I haven’t done this before.”

Thor’s eyebrows jumped up. “Wait, really? You’re a virgin?” Loki could feel himself blushing, but he nodded anyway.

“I guess, yeah.” Thor groaned and leaned forward to leave open-mouthed kisses along the ridge of Loki’s jaw. His breathing was loud in Loki’s ear, heavy and uneven. “Is– is that bad?”

Thor shook his head, “no, it’s perfect. Fuck, you’re perfect.” He took a breath and pulled back enough to look Loki in the eyes. “Don’t worry, we’ll take it slow. Just relax, okay?” Loki nodded and tried to do as he said, letting his muscles loosen a bit. He felt the blunt head of Thor’s cock against his hole, and almost before he could think about it, Thor was pressing forward.

Loki gasped as it slid in, trying to remind himself to relax and breathe and– _fuck_ , that hurt. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he tried to blink them away. Thor saw them anyway, stilling and placing a hand, warm and grounding, on his neck. “You okay? Want to stop?” Loki shook his head quickly. He wanted more, he wanted to feel Thor deep inside him, all around him. He wanted to feel _only_ Thor.

“N–no, no, don’t stop, fuck, please,” it fell out of his mouth in a rush. Thor nodded slowly and leaned down to kiss him, continuing to press in. The way Thor kissed him, confident and steady, tongue moving in slow, deft swipes, calmed him, allowed some of the tension to seep from his body.

When Thor bottomed out, he paused, resting there to let Loki get used to the feeling. Despite the burn (growing fainter by the moment), Loki wished he’d _move_ already. Growing impatient, he rolled his hips experimentally, drawing a soft groan from Thor and a shudder from himself.

“More,” he gasped, “please–” he was cut short when Thor finally started moving his hips, and unintentionally let out a high pitched, wordless noise. Thor’s thrusts were gentle at first, then not so gentle, growing stronger and deeper. Each one forced a noise from Loki’s lips, but he was a little too preoccupied to be embarrassed. He reached up, wrapping his arms around Thor and holding on tight. The pain was fading, and Loki could _feel_ Thor’s cock inside of him, hot and heavy. Thor reached down and placed a hand on his hip, tilting it slightly and changing the angle of his thrusts.

_That_ was a change. Loki cried out when Thor’s cock pressed against the same spot that his fingers had found earlier, arching up off the bed slightly. He began grinding down to meet Thor’s thrusts, greedy for more. Thor groaned quietly when he did. “Good boy” rumbled from his chest.

Loki keened and twisted his hips slightly, starting to tremble a bit. A particularly hard thrust drove the breath out of him, and he tipped his head back, breathing uneven. His cock throbbed against his stomach, not quite painful.

“Is that what you want, baby?”

“Yes, yes, please,” each word was punctuated by a soft moan. He focused his gaze on Thor to see him staring down at Loki, pupils blown wide and breath coming in pants.

“Tell me you like it,” Thor coaxed (though Loki didn’t need much coaxing).

“I love it, I love it, Daddy!” The word slipped out without much warning, but Loki didn’t have too much time to panic.

“Fuck, that’s hot.” Thor kissed him hungrily, tongue invasive and eager. He pulled away, eyes trained on Loki. “Say it again,” he commanded.

“D– Daddy,” he whimpered, and Thor groaned, thrusts growing more erratic. His hands clamped down on Loki’s skin, possessive and claiming.

“You’re so good, baby,” he crooned, voice uneven, “so tight for Daddy.” His words, coupled with several well-aimed thrusts, pushed Loki over the edge.

“Daddy, I’m gonna come, please–” he came without touching himself, a shudder running through him as he arched up against Thor, voice stuttering over a series of whimpers.

“Fuck,” Thor swore quietly, “I’m close.” Loki held onto him, tucking his face into Thor’s neck as Thor continued to thrust, pushing himself over the edge. His hips stuttered and he groaned, body tensing above Loki, and Loki felt a little thrill go through him.

Thor rested there for a few moments, riding out his orgasm, before he pulled out. He moved slowly, replaced by a rush of cold air and a warm trickle(it wasn’t necessarily a good feeling). Thor leaned over and grabbed a few tissues off of his nightstand. “Here, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Once they were both relatively clean, Loki slipped his briefs back on (he felt too vulnerable without them)– while Thor pulled his pants back up. He didn't seem inclined to talk, simply sliding under the covers and pulling Loki close, an arm around his waist. 

Loki liked the feeling of Thor’s chest against his back, broad and warm and solid. He leaned into it, listening to the rise and fall of Thor’s breathing. It wasn’t long before his breaths slowed and evened out, drawn deep with sleep.

Loki listened to him drift off, watching the soft rain and the shifting light outside the window. It would be a good night to be back home, he thought (if only Thor could come with him). It wasn’t that he _hated_ New York– no, it was home away from home these days– but he missed the trees, and the stars, and the quiet. New York was loud, in so many ways. It was vibrant and buzzing, it filled his head with muted noise, and it drained him.

And then there was life, in the city that never sleeps (Loki didn’t sleep much, either). It was a jumble of courses that he walked out of with nothing more than the credit, professors telling him he was ‘too clever to be wasting his potential in fashion,’ a distasteful spirit that just _had_ to keep coming back (Loki was getting tired of the daily cleansings), a cold he could feel coming on, and to top it all off, Thor.

Thor, with his California sun smile and warm hands and lightning blue eyes. Thor, with his deep bellied laugh and his insistence that Loki ought to take care of himself and his surprisingly gentle nature (belied by his stature). Thor, who hadn’t thought it was strange when Loki had called him Daddy, of all things (foolish, Loki berated himself, flushing even with the memory)– who’d _liked_ it, even. Thor, who was objectively perfect and would also certainly be gone within six months.

Loki drove people off. Whether it was odd habits or sarcastic comments or general ill-natured-ness, without fail, something about him scared people away. And, he reminded himself, it would be no different with Thor.

So he was left with the choice: either wait for Thor to come to his senses and leave, or do the leaving pre-emptively and save himself the trouble (and the pain) later. Loki’s thoughts ran in circles for far too long before he decided he would sleep on it– if he could sleep at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's probably a good thing I don't believe in hell bc I would be in _trouble_ rn if I did
> 
> aNYwAy
> 
> I'm going on vacation next week, so I'm not sure if that's gonna mess with my posting or not? We'll see, I'll try to stay at least semi-consistent :) Next chapter should be coming pretty soon, though!


	8. Lavender and Citrus and Sage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So very sorry to anyone who's been waiting on this! I know I said it'd be up soon after I posted the last chapter, but then life ended up getting in the way. (plus, it actually turned out longer than expected) But at least it's here now! Hope you guys enjoy it :)

When Thor woke up, Loki was gone, and the sky was still grey, threatening to rain (again). Making himself get up and go to work was a struggle, especially when he found that they were out of coffee. The first thing he did when he got to work was to find Sif– he’d forgotten to ask her about whatever Tony had mentioned on Friday.

“Hey, Sif,” he paused at the doorway to her office. She glanced up, smiled at him, and waved him in. “Have a minute?”

“Sure, my schedule is pretty flexible today,” she turned in her chair to face him.

“So, after my meeting with Tony last week, he mentioned that I should ask you about something he’s doing for Bruce’s promotion?”

“Oh, yes! Yeah, he’s having a few of us to his house for– well, it’s officially a dinner party, but with Tony, it’s usually drinks. Although,” she added thoughtfully, “Pepper’ll be there, so there probably will be some sort of dinner. Snacks, at least. I’d suggest going, if you’re not busy– you definitely want to be on Tony’s good side. I’m going, and Jane and Darcy will be there, along with the advertising team,” Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun, a close-knit group who worked almost intimidatingly well together. “Oh, and I think Selvig is going. Probably some others I didn’t mention, too,” she waved her hand absentmindedly.

“So I should probably go?”

She laughed at his expression, “no one’s forcing you to go! If it sounds that bad, just skip out, it’ll be fine.”

Thor shook his head hastily, trying to backtrack, “no, no, that’s not what I meant– I just, I’ve been sort of tired lately.”

She gently placed a hand over his. “Thor, don’t worry about it. If you want to go, then go, and if you don’t, it’s not going to hurt. Okay?”

He nodded, a little sheepish. “Alright. Thanks, Sif.”

“No problem,” she smiled at him. “Here, let me have your number– I’ll text you the address, and then you can ask if you have any other questions. Alright?” Thor nodded graciously, writing his number on a sticky note (he tended not to carry his phone around the office– he found it too distracting) to leave with her.

“Great. I owe you one.”

She smiled and waved him off. “Not at all. Take care of yourself, Thor.” He threw a smile over his shoulder as he left.

 

Thor slogged through the rest of the day, trying his best to ignore his headache. By the time he got back home, he was past being tired. He was ready to just head to bed, but he made himself pull some leftovers out of the fridge and join Bucky on the couch for dinner.

He fell onto the couch, the impact pushing a breath out of him. “Hey, man,” Bucky greeted him without looking up from whatever he was watching.

“Hey, Buck.” Thor began pushing food into his mouth, trying to ignore how dry the chicken was. “Where’s Steve?”

“Oh, he’s working late today. Loki’s gone, too. He left earlier.” Bucky finally looked at him. “By the way, I’ve been wanting to talk to you.” The way he said it implied that it was something serious, and Thor felt a weight settle in his stomach.

“Now? I’m pretty tired, I don’t know.” It wasn’t exactly a lie– he _was_ tired, even if it wasn’t entirely the reason he wanted to avoid the conversation.

“Yes, now.”

Thor could’ve gotten out of it if he really wanted to, but instead he sat back, sighing in defeat. "Alright, hit me with it.”

“I wanted to tell you about some of the stuff that happened before you moved in, just because I feel like it might clear some things up. Steve hasn’t really wanted to say anything- he thinks it’s your relationship and we shouldn’t get involved, but I thought it wasn’t fair for all of us to know and leave you out of the loop.

"Basically, we had another roommate, before you– another college kid. He was nice enough, but honestly, Steve and I were both pretty fucking busy at that point, and we didn’t really get to know him. He and Loki, during the first couple weeks, got close enough.” Envy rose in Thor’s chest, ugly and subtle, and he tried to push it back down. “But after a month, maybe, shit went down. I really don’t even know what happened, just that they fell out, I guess. After a couple of big blowouts, they stopped talking.

“And that’s when the weird shit started. Poor guy’s luck just took a nosedive. He’d come out on the worst end of everything; getting caught in the rain, losing everything, covered in scrapes and bruises, breaking things– and it sucked, yeah, but we all thought it was just a case of bad luck, you know? But then he mentioned that his room was always cold, and he started seeing weird things at night.

“I think he moved out after he started having nightmares. I got in touch with him a few weeks later, and he said everything cleared up after he moved out. And I’m not saying that any of it is necessarily connected to Loki but– I dunno, man.”

Thor’s brow furrowed. “How would it be connected to him? I mean, as far as I know, you can’t give someone else nightmares.”

“Well, Steve thinks it could be a curse, and I’m inclined to agree with  him.”

Thor hesitated. “Do you seriously believe in curses?”

Bucky shrugged, “you never know. I sure as hell believe in ghosts, and I feel like they’re not too far off. And since Steve’s Christian and all, it sorta freaks him out. I mean, I know we joked a lot about it when you first moved in, but in all seriousness– I know it sounds fucking weird to say this, but I think Loki might actually be a satanist.” Thor scrubbed his hand over his face. Bucky’s seriousness was worrying him.

“And have you ever actually asked him about any of it?”

Bucky shook his head, “didn’t wanna offend him. And after all that happened, he got a lot more closed off. He moved into Gabe's room, actually. Your room used to be Loki’s.” Thor assumed 'Gabe' was the old roommate.

“Really?” Thor raised an eyebrow, and Bucky nodded.

“Honestly, it might–  maybe you should see his room.”

Thor shook his head immediately. “No, he’d hate that.”

“He won’t know.”

Thor pressed his lips together. “Whether he knows or not doesn’t change that I’d have done it.”

“And you don’t feel like he’s hiding something from you?” That made Thor hesitate. He’d always known that Loki was private, but it hadn’t really bothered him. “Come on, Thor, we’ve been friends for long enough. Would I make this up?” Swallowing thickly, Thor shook his head. He knew that Bucky wouldn’t lie to him, but that didn’t mean he was always right.

Sighing, Bucky stood up. “Come on.” He headed over to Loki’s room, and although Thor hated himself for doing it, he followed. Bucky opened the door and stepped aside, nodding to Thor. Knowing he’d probably regret it, Thor hesitated before pushing the door open all the way and stepping in. Cold air hit him as soon as he did, sending a chill skittering across his skin. He took a few more steps, trying to ignore the guilt creeping up in his stomach and the (slightly more disturbing) feeling that he was being watched. Although there was nothing visibly wrong with the room, a heaviness hung in the air and clung to his skin.

Aside from that, the room was comfortable–  it smelled like Loki, lavender and citrus and sage, and there were several plants lined up on the windowsill. Bookshelves (all overfull) lined the walls, and his bed was unmade. It was piled with blankets and pillows, almost a nest, and a rush of affection ran through Thor when he saw a stuffed animal (Thor was pretty sure it was a dog) in the middle of it all. A book lying on the floor next to the bed was titled _Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner._

On the other side of the room was a desk, cluttered with candles, crystals, glass jars, and a couple of different tarot decks (and, yes, a few pentagrams). In front of the window was a small wooden table, low enough that Thor had to kneel to see it better. Bucky, who’d followed him in, stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. It was an odd arrangement– Thor wasn’t really sure what he was looking at, honestly. A few candles, a leather-bound notebook, (yet another) pentagram, a glass, a small bowl, several different crystals, a half-used stick of incense, a vase of flowers, and an assortment of other things. Most concerning, perhaps, was a bird skull. Thor wasn’t sure if it was real or not, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.The thing that stuck Thor was that it all looked very intentional– it wasn’t just a random scattering of objects.

“See what I mean?” Bucky stood with his arms crossed over his chest, but he seemed almost remorseful, and certainly uncomfortable. Thor shook his head slowly, tracing the handle of what he thought was a dagger (it could have been a letter opener, for all he knew).

“He’s not a satanist,” Thor told him.

“What makes you say that?”

Thor nodded to the book he’d found by the bed. “Wiccan. I don’t know much about it, but I don’t think it’s the same.”

“Wicca? Isn’t that witchcraft?” He left the correlation to curses unsaid. But Thor couldn’t imagine Loki ever cursing someone (regardless of whether or not Thor believed in curses– it was the intention that mattered). The Loki that Bucky talked about didn’t line up with the Loki he knew– the Loki that showed him around art museums and blushed easily and studied too hard for his own good and sat on Thor’s lap and tried not to cry.

“I don’t know, honestly.” Thor closed his eyes, trying not to think about his invasion of privacy. If Loki found out, he’d probably never speak to him again. He stood up slowly. He was beyond ready to leave, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that he shouldn’t have done this.

Then he turned around. Loki stood in the doorway, arms crossed and knuckles white. “Enjoying the view?” His voice was almost as icy as the look in his eyes. Bucky started in surprise and swore quietly. Thor’s stomach dropped to his feet. He had no idea how long Loki’d been there.

“Shit, man, sorry–”

“Out.” Loki cut Bucky off. He stepped to the side to make room for Bucky to get through, staring him down as he left. Bucky paused just outside the door to glance back at Thor, who nodded, silently urging him to keep going. He wanted to talk to Loki, alone. Bucky raised an eyebrow, but conceded after a moment, heading back to his own room.

Once he was gone, Loki’s gaze snapped back to Thor. “That applies to you, too. Get. Out.”

“Loki, I want to talk to you.”

“And I want you to leave, but it looks like neither of us are getting what we want.” He stalked into the room and began grabbing pillows off the floor and tossing them onto the bed.

“Loki, please.”

“‘Loki, please,’” he mimicked, contempt painting his voice an ugly shade. “Well, did you find what you were looking for?” He spread his hands, gesturing around the room, a sardonic smile spreading across his face. “I hope it kept you entertained, at least.”

“I’m sorry,” Thor said helplessly. “I was just in here because I wanted to know more about you.” As a rule, Thor tried not to let himself regret things, but he was finding it particularly difficult at that moment.

“And do you know enough now?” He raised an eyebrow. “Ready to leave? Finally convinced I’m a fucking _freak_?” Thor shook his head, but Loki’s lip curled contemptuously and he continued before Thor could say anything. “You know the thing about people like you, Thor? You always think you know best. You’re always so _in control_ , but as soon as you bump into something unfamiliar, you're gone. And the _assumptions_ ,” he rolled his eyes, “don’t even get me started on the assumptions.”

“I’m not the one making assumptions right now,” Thor pointed out. Loki opened his mouth, flushed ever so slightly, and closed it again. “Sit.” Thor sank to the floor, nodding to the space in front of him, inviting (though really, it was more of an order) Loki to sit down. “I’m going to stay here, and we’re going to talk until we’re on the same page.” Loki blinked owlishly a few times, but slid down to join Thor anyway, eyeing him rather warily.

“First of all, I do want to apologize for coming in here without your permission. It was a dick move, and I shouldn’t have done it. Especially since it makes it look like I don’t trust you, which–” he paused and shook his head, noting that the uncomfortable feeling hanging in the room was still there. He’d thought it was just his guilt, but it hadn’t dissipated when Loki appeared. “That’s so far from the truth, I don’t–”

“So why did you do it?” Loki’s brow was furrowed, expression unreadable. Thor sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and explained as best he could. He started at the beginning, when he’d first arrived, with Bucky and Steve’s first doubts. After he finished with the day’s events, he fell quiet, waiting for Loki to respond.

Loki looked uncertain, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth and staring at the floor. “Fuck,” he ran a hand through his hair, “I can’t think like this. Give me a second.” He stood and moved over to the window, yanking it open. Stepping back, his brow furrowed, he lit a stick of incense and placed it gingerly in an incense burner. Thor thought he said something under his breath, but he couldn’t be sure.

Sighing heavily, Loki returned to his previous spot. “So they seriously think I cursed Gabe?” Thor nodded slowly, and Loki snorted in a grimly amused sort of way. “I’m surprised they had the wherewithal to make the connection.”

“Wait, so you–”

“No, shit, that sounded bad,” Loki cut him off. “I just– so, basically, there’s this really _fucking persistent”_ he raised his voice slightly with the words, almost like it could hear him, “spirit that, for some reason, won’t leave this room alone. I don’t know what it is– I’ve tried wards and circles and spells and I’m still doing cleansings every day. But that was what was messing with him, not me. The connection is in the fact that I work with that sort of thing.” He paused, looking more tired than anything, a melancholy note to his voice.

“Do you seriously think I’d curse someone?” He seemed hurt by the thought, and Thor shook his head mutely. “Good,” his fingers drifted back and forth over the floor restlessly. “Remember, I’m Wiccan. You said it yourself.” Thor got the sense that was supposed to explain something, but he was still just as confused. Something in his expression must have betrayed that, because Loki smiled (one of his sardonic smiles). “Do you know anything about Wicca?”

“Not really” Thor admitted, laughing in embarrassment (Loki wasn’t laughing).

“Well, one of the staples of Wicca is pacificity.” He spoke slowly, giving himself the time to figure out what he’d say next. “If you harm none, do as you will. And,” he pursed his lips, “yes, it does tie in with witchcraft, but no, I’m not satanist.” He scrubbed a hand across his face, and silence hung between them. “So… when you go back to your life, do you think-” he took a soft breath. “Could you keep this sort of on the down low? I’ll stay out of your way and everything, just– if we could avoid making a scene, I’d appreciate it.”

“Loki.” Thor reached forward and took one of Loki’s hands in his. Loki glanced down but didn’t draw back, although his mouth remained a hard line. “I don’t _want_ you to stay out of my way. And I certainly don’t want to ‘make a scene,’ as you put it.” Loki blushed a little at that. “Why do you think that this would change anything between us?”

“I just…” he sighed softly. “You’re wonderful, Thor, you’re just very straight-laced.” He hesitated for a moment. “And a lot of times, people can be difficult about it. I mean, I basically got laid off once when they found out I was Wiccan.”

“Wait, what? They can’t do that– _legally_ , they can’t do that. Where did that happen?”

Loki waved it off, looking tired. “It doesn’t matter. It was back in Seattle, anyway. I was just working at a little cafe, high school job, that sort of thing. And on paper, it was because they were overstaffed, so it’s not legally an issue. Besides, it hasn’t been a problem since.”

“Still,” Thor murmured. “Do things like that happen a lot?”

Loki shrugged. He still wouldn’t meet Thor’s eyes. “Sometimes. I’ve lost a couple friends because of it. Nobody’s been really aggressive about it, but people just sort of drift away.” Thor hummed unhappily and reached up to tuck some of Loki’s hair behind his ear (it was always falling into his face). Loki finally looked up at him, brow furrowed. “Does it not bother you?”

Thor smiled gently and cupped Loki’s cheek in his hand. “Why would it? As long as you’re not hurting anyone, it’s your choice.” Loki closed his eyes slowly and tipped his head to the side, leaning into Thor’s hand.

“Come here, baby,” he murmured, leaning forward to wrap his other arm around Loki and draw him close. He was worried it would be too much, but Loki looked rather relieved, slumping against Thor’s chest. “Next time someone’s an ass about it,” he pressed a kiss to Loki’s neck (long and bare and pale), “just tell me, and I’ll take care of them.” He was only half joking, really.

Loki’s laugh, although quiet, always managed to fill a room. Thor smiled softly and let it soak into him, resting his cheek atop Loki’s head. He smelled like lavender and citrus and sage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also: for anyone who's into Thor, I'd suggest checking out Brock O'Hurn, because he's the same type of guy and lord knows we need more of them


	9. Discussions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one took a while, but unfortunately, school is starting up for me and the timing of updates will probably be more like this one, since I'll be busier :( sorry to anyone who's waiting for them!

Thor loved the noises Loki made when he kissed him, sweet and quiet. His lips were always ever-so-slightly chapped (but soft nonetheless) and warmer than the rest of him (though that wasn’t saying too much). He whined when Thor slid his tongue against his bottom lip, opening his mouth and tilting his head to the side. Thor pushed Loki’s shirt up slightly, running his hand across the plane of his stomach, fingers pausing at the ridge of his hipbone. 

When Thor began pressing kisses along the line of his jaw, Loki tipped his head back, breath uneven and sharp. “Thor,” he whispered.

Thor drew back to look at him. “That’s not what you called me yesterday.” Loki flushed furiously, scarlet racing across his cheeks and down his neck. 

“I– I don’t– I wasn’t sure if you– if you were  _ into  _ that sort of–”

“I’m into it,” Thor cut off his stuttering. “ _ Really _ into it. If you are, that is?” He raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t known he was into it until last night, but apparently he was. 

Loki paused, swallowed, blushed a little more, and then finally nodded. Before Thor could get anything else out of him, he buried his face in Thor’s chest

“Oh, babe,” Thor wrapped his arms around him and pulled him a little closer. “Don’t be embarrassed.” 

Thor looked up when he heard a cough. Steve stood in the doorway, looking remarkably uncomfortable. “Uh, hey. Um, sorry, I just– you got a package.” He held it out helplessly. 

Loki glared at him out of the corner of his eye, still mostly buried in Thor’s chest. “Thanks, man,” Thor smiled, a little embarrassed himself, and held out a hand. Steve picked his way into Loki’s room, still looking uncomfortable, and handed it over.

“Yeah, no problem. See you later, I guess?”

Thor nodded, “yeah, later.” Steve seemed relieved to retreat, and Thor couldn’t really blame him. He closed the door behind him. Thor looked down at the top of Loki’s head (all he could see, really). “Have you had dinner yet?” Loki shook his head. “Alright,” Thor stood suddenly, hoisting Loki up with him. Loki yelped and wrapped his legs around Thor’s waist, moving faster than Thor had expected. 

“What? Did you think I’d drop you?” Loki mumbled something in response(it was too quiet for Thor to hear), and Thor laughed, shaking his head and pressing a kiss to his cheek(still halfway pink). “Come on, let’s get you something to eat.” He carried Loki into the kitchen, glad when he found it empty, and set him on one of the barstools. 

While Thor rummaged around in the kitchen, Loki draped himself over the counter, tracing patterns on the granite. After a few moments, Thor stood back, unimpressed by his findings. “Everything in here has meat in it.” In all honesty, he probably should’ve bought groceries a few days ago. “Takeout?” He glanced over at Loki for an answer.

Loki shrugged and smiled slyly. “If you’ll pay.” 

Thor rolled his eyes, but he was already reaching for the phone. “I forget you’re a broke college student sometimes.” 

“Not  _ that  _ broke,” Loki protested halfheartedly. Thor shot him a look before turning his attention to the woman on the other end of the phone. 

Once he’d ordered and hung up, he turned back to Loki. “I think we still need to talk.” 

“I thought we talked already.” Loki propped himself up on his elbow and fixed Thor with a steady green gaze. Thor marveled at how quickly his moods switched, though he wasn’t exactly surprised. Just a few minutes ago, he’d been hiding in Thor’s chest, and now… well, now he was here, all but daring Thor to argue with him. 

Thor sighed heavily and walked around the counter, dropping onto a barstool to face Loki. “We did. But personally, there are a few things I’d still like cleared up.” Loki began examining his nails, pointedly ignoring Thor in the process. “We’re going to do this sometime or another, and I’d prefer to do it now.” 

Loki finally looked up, shooting him a glare. “Alright, jackass, but wait until I’ve had dinner.”

“I bought you dinner, remember?” 

“I was under the impression that was out of the kindness of your heart. If I’d realized it was a  _ bribe _ , I wouldn’t–” 

Thor cut him off with a kiss. He pulled back, pleased that he’d effectively put a stop to the tirade (for now, anyway). “Pretty please?” 

After a moment of silence, Loki finally muttered, “fine.” His cheeks were turning pink again. 

 

At the end of his class, Loki hurried out, glancing at the time and swearing to himself. He  _ knew  _ he shouldn’t have booked a shift with such short timing. As he climbed onto the bus, he pulled his phone out to call Amora (partially to let her know he was going to be late, partially to figure out whether it would be worth it to hurry or not). The bus doors hissed closed as he waited for her to pick up, ringing once, then twice.

“What’s up?”

“Hey, Amora, I’m probably going to be late for this one. Can you cover for me until I get there?” 

“Asshole, I’m dying here. Selena–” she paused, and Loki could practically see her looking around the corner to make sure the woman in question was nowhere nearby. “Selena is driving me up the wall. And,” she added grumpily, “Chester’s been hiding all day.” 

Loki laughed and shook his head. “He’s probably sleeping. He’s a cat, that’s what they do. You know you’re his favorite, anyway, you see plenty of him.” 

She huffed, “not nearly enough. Ahh, shoot,” her voice dropped to a whisper, “customers. I’ll see you when you get here.” 

“Okay, see you soon.” 

“Hurry,” she grumbled before the line went dead. Loki smiled at the phone before shoving it back in his pocket. He might hurry. Maybe. 

When he finally did get there, the shop was empty except for a duo of teenage girls, cooing over a shelf of rose quartz. It was a little shop (it claimed to be naturalistic, holistic, and metaphysical), filled with an amalgamation of crystals, tarot cards, essential oil, incense, and a wide assortment of tools of witchcraft. It also offered a variety of different readings, but those were always held upstairs (where Loki was usually not invited). In short, an occult shop (if on the tame end of occult shops), though the owners would never call it that.

Amora stood behind the counter, examining a chunk of orange calcite, brow furrowed. When Loki walked in, she looked up, waving him over. 

“Here,” she shoved it into his hands. “Does this look weird to you? Damaged? Anything?” Loki turned it over in his hands, letting the feeling of it sink into his palms. 

“Nope, looks fine to me. Some nasty energy, though. I’d put it with the selenite, if I were you.” 

“That’s what I thought. Some guy came in to return it today,” she kept speaking as she went into the next room over, placing it gently in between several scattered wands of selenite. “Said it was cracked.” She returned to the counter, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. “But I think it’s fine. I mean, he might have been  _ on  _ crack, from the way he looked, but–” 

One of the girls cleared her throat, drawing their attention. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Amora scooted out of the way. Loki stepped up, smiling charmingly. The tips of the girl’s ears turned pink. 

“Sorry about that. What can I help you with?” 

She smiled a little nervously and placed a simple rose quartz sphere on the counter. “Just hoping to check out.” 

“Of course,” Loki nodded and rang her up. “Will that be all?” She nodded and rummaged around in her purse before pulling out a crumpled $20 bill. Loki dropped the sphere into a paper bag and gave her the change. She dropped it all in the tip jar, thanking him before she and her friend wandered out of the shop. 

Amora watched them go, leaning on the counter. “Being cute always brings in more tips, doesn’t it?”

“You would know,” Loki told her, gathering his bags from where he’d dropped them. “I’m gonna go put my stuff up.” She followed him into the back room, where he shrugged off his coat, sighing as he dropped his bag. “Where’s Selena?” 

“Oh, I don’t know. Probably out back, balancing her energy or some shit like that.” Amora left unsaid that whatever she was doing, she wasn’t working. 

“She needs it,” Loki snorted. “Talk about unbalanced.” 

“Tell me about it,” Amora rolled her eyes, waiting as Loki pinned on his nametag. “I’ve been here with her all day. All day. Alone.” 

Loki shrugged unsympathetically. “We’ve all had to do it.” He swept back out into the front, pausing in front of a mirror in the hallway to examine his reflection. “I think I’m gonna get another piercing. Wanna come?” 

Amora made a face. “If you want me to. You know I don’t like needles, though.” 

Loki rolled his eyes and kept walking, stopping by the counter. “I’m not asking you to do it. Just come. I’ll buy you food afterwards.” 

“Deal,” she flopped into one of the chairs– a squishy red one that she’d more or less claimed for her own. “As long as it’s not a tongue piercing, I can’t deal with those.” 

Loki shook his head and began absentmindedly reorganizing one of the candle shelves. “No, I just think a second ear piercing would be nice. Simple. Maybe a bar.” Amora nodded in approval and tucked her legs up underneath her, sinking further into the chair. 

“So. How’s it going with Thor?” Loki groaned, mentally berating himself for telling her anything, ever. 

“That again? Can’t we talk about anything else? Literally anything?” 

“Nope,” she said cheerfully. 

“I’ll try to find Chester for you.” That made her pause, but she shook her head.

“He won’t be happy if you drag him out. You’re not getting out of this one. So. Did you guys talk about the whole ‘daddy’ thing?”

He blushed, and she giggled in a wickedly delighted sort of way. “Oh, man, you should see your face. So I guess that’s a yes?”

“Yeah,” Loki admitted, swearing as he fumbled one of the candles. “God, he was really insistent about it, too. I mean, you know I just wanted to kinda let it go, but he had other plans, apparently.” 

“So did you come to a decision?”

“Yeah, sort of.” 

“Sort of?” 

Loki shrugged. “We’re gonna see how things go. But,” he coughed uncomfortably, warmth rushing to his face, “he’s definitely okay with the ‘daddy’ thing.” 

Amora all but  _ cackled  _ this time. “I haven’t seen you this red since the Vincent incident. Or, as I like to call it, the Vincident.” 

“We do  _ not  _ talk about that,” Loki glared at her. 

“Yes, of course, your highness.” He shook his head exasperatedly and turned his attention back to the candles.

“But we did have a talk about the whole Wiccan thing, too.” He explained to her what had happened, and she nodded along. 

“I’m surprised you care,” she raised an eyebrow after he’d finished. “You’re not normally that type.” 

“Yeah, I know.” He was usually more of a ‘take me as I am or fuck off’ type. “But Thor is… different. He throws me off.” He frowned, trying to find room for the last few candles.

“Mm. I’ve really got to meet this guy.” 

“Well, maybe you will. Someday.” Somehow, Loki got the feeling it might be a mistake to introduce them. They paused to watch as Persephone– a fluffy, white, blue-eyed cat with the temperament of a sand viper– wandered into the room, stretched, and leapt up to the windowsill to nap. 

Amora made a face at the cat and shook her head. “I bet she scared Chester into hiding.” Loki hummed and moved on to wiping down the counter. “That doesn’t need cleaning, you know,” she pointed out. 

“When was the last time you cleaned it?”

“It doesn’t  _ look  _ dirty,” she mumbled. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” As he was cleaning, the bell on the door jingled, and a man stepped into the shop, letting in a rush of cool air from outside. 

Amora leaned over and smiled at him, twirling a blonde lock between two fingers. Per usual, her nails were a shiny, immaculate red. “Hello! Can I help you?” 

He smiled (Loki thought his teeth were too white) and headed over to where she sat. “Yes, actually. I was hoping to find some tea tree oil?”

“Of course,” she stood smoothly and led him to the right shelf. Loki watched as he picked one out, then turned to the counter. When his eyes fell on Loki, he raised an eyebrow. 

He crossed the distance to the counter in a few long strides. “I may have to start coming by here more often,” he chuckled, placing the oil on the counter. Loki smiled coyly and leaned forward on the glass surface. 

“I might have to agree, actually.” He looked up at the man, making sure his eyes said the same thing. 

The man smiled, and his attention fell to a set of rings on display. He ran a thumb over them, and Loki tilted his head as he slipped one off. “Interested?” Loki nodded to the ring. 

He smiled again and shook his head. “I can’t imagine it would suit me. You, however…” He took one of Loki’s hands, and Loki let him slip the ring onto one of his fingers. He examined it for the moment. 

“You have good taste,” he admitted. “Unfortunately, broke college students like me usually can’t afford such niceties.” The man nodded to the ring and pushed the oil forward on the counter. 

“I’ll take both of them.” 

“Oh?” Loki smiled slyly and rang him up. After he’d paid, he left both a generous tip and his number on the receipt. Amora watched him leave with a sour look on her face. 

“Sometimes I resent the fact that you’re so obviously gay,” she fell back into the chair. 

“It’s not  _ that  _ obvious,” Loki protested. She raised an eyebrow and he shrugged. “Okay, maybe a little obvious. Just a little.” 

She snorted and shook her head. “I thought you had Thor.” Loki examined the ring on his finger and picked up the receipt, sliding it into his pocket. 

“I do, but sometimes things fall through. And, you know, I haven’t had a sugar daddy before.” He smiled wickedly. “Might be interesting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like it was time to develop Loki a lil more outside of his relationship with Thor, so here we are! I love love love shops like this (even if they're often sorta overpriced)


End file.
